Breaking
by beautifulluckyaura
Summary: Will our old bonds breaking cause us to lose ourselves, or find who we truly are? ITASAKU, NARUHINA, NEJITEN, SHIKAINO
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: A Nightmare

A nightmare, the bane of my dreams, had been haunting me, ever since the day I had seen it. Those files, those people, and Tsunade-sama, telling me that she could not do anything about the past, and that the present was quickly running through her fingers, and into the greedy, grasping claws of the elders. She saw the different things in that room, and she could not get them out of her head.

The real reason Uchiha Itachi destroyed the clan, and had to flee. After all, the village can only cover up completed assignments, and, obviously, someone was left alive.

The real reason that the ninjas from the other village tried to kidnap and kill Hinata, then asked for the "eye for an eye" exchange. Why the other twin was actually ordered to willingly walk to his death.

The real reason that Naruto wasn't taken in like so many other orphans, why he was not taken to the orphanage, and why no family, or person was allowed to take him in.

Sakura sat up, and stared at the wall of her apartment, tears beginning to glisten in her eyes as she stared at the plain white painted-over plaster. The worst is that she had sworn never to tell anyone, just like any ANBU captain had. At eighteen, she had finally made Captain, and had been regretting it ever since they had told her she could read from the scrolls in the Hokage's library, when she had found all that information.

The nightmares had started the night she read them. She thought that they would go away. A ninja's greatest attribute is their ability to process and adapt to new information. She _should _have gotten over it.

But she didn't.

How could she really? Her former crush, yes _former_, wanted to kill his brother for a lie written in their text books that was corrected in a book owned by the government. The reason her best friend ever was so lonely as a child was because it was ordered, to make him more emotionally strong, and independent, because the demon-fox would make him weak with its need for a pack, and, later on, a mate.

She had had nightmares about him finding out that she knew, and never told him. Or that Sasuke would come back, and then tell her he hated her, because she knew, and he had already killed his onii-san.

But then she would wake up, and Itachi was not dead, and Sasuke had not come back, and Naruto was his normal, happy-go lucky, knuckle head self.

She would cry, then she would get up, and act like nothing had happened. She would say hi to Naruto, go on missions, work at the hospital, meet with Ino for lunch sometimes, or even train with Hinata for an hour or two.

But she couldn't help feeling that it was all a lie. A terrible, terrible lie.

Honestly, she so wanted to walk up to Tsunade and tell her the truth. To tell her she couldn't stand it, that she wanted to leave. But she couldn't. She would get her master's attention, and then the words would catch in her throat, and she would excuse it as nothing.

She couldn't leave as Sasuke had either. Stealing away in the night in that manner had been overly cowardly. She couldn't stand the way he had left, and wouldn't leave the people to pine over her as she, Naruto, and a few others had over Sasuke.

So, she had to tell them. Somehow. Somewhere.

She knew how to.

She could do it.

She looked at the four, neatly written letters on her desk, and the summoning scroll lying next to it. She walked over to the desk, and slid her hand over each, column of neat, precise symbols, her mind reading each letter: _Dear Tsunade-sama, Dear Shizune-san, Dear Naruto-kun, _and even_ Dear Sasuke-kun, _was stated at the head. The summon she had in mind would find Sasuke, and make sure he read it, and would do the same for Tsunade-sama, Shizune-chan, and Naruto, before returning to it's scroll and lying dormant until she needed it again.

Honestly, how bad would it be, to finally be able to tell them she was going bonkers here? She would give them a good reason, at least to her, and she would keep to her vow to never tell anyone.

She stared out the window, over the sleeping houses, with people all snuggled up in their beds or futons, dreaming about becoming a ninja, or dreaming about their next mission, or even just meeting up with friends tomorrow. They were all safe, because of little, itty-bitty white lies. How could she even attempt to take that away from them? She couldn't.

She had always told herself she wouldn't ever run from her problems. That she would never be anything like Sasuke.

Yet here she was, already biting down on her finger to draw the blood. Sakura thought for a few seconds, then shrugged, she'd be useless with the way her conscience was acting up right now anyway.

The blood smeared across the scroll easily enough as she made her hand signs, and moments after she placed her hands to the floor, there was a light puff of smoke, and a nicely sized large cat popped up.

The cat looked over at her, then blinked twice.

"You woke me up," the cat told her.

"Well, I'm sorry, but this can't wait," Sakura told her. "I need to do this before my courage fails me yet again."

The cat blinked, then bowed her head, providing easy access to the collar around her neck, with several small, circular tubes on it specifically designed to hold messages.

Sakura slipped the letters into the openings, kissing the cat on the forehead.

"Thanks, Hana," she whispered to the cat.

"You'd better stay out of trouble." The cat responded, then she walked off and disappeared, her dark fur blending in with the shadows as soon as she jumped out of the window.

Sakura stood and walked over to her bed, reaching underneath the mattress to grab the rather large pack she had stored there. In it was a moderately warm jacket, two sets of her uniform, and two sets of civilian clothes, and enough food to last her for a three days, which would be all the time it would take for her to reach her destination: the village hidden in the stones.

She figured no one would recognize her there, as she had never been there before, and as Tsunade-sama didn't particularly like them, so there was not much communication between the two villages. Also, since Deidara had originated from that village, it was much less likely the Akatsuki would show up.

Sakura took out a map from the drawer of her night stand and shoved it into the pack as last minutes add in. After all, it would be both logical and illogical for the Akatsuki to have a base there, and they specialized in the unexpected.

Sakura put the keys to her apartment under her pillow, and stacked her ANBU uniform at the foot of the bed. She hoped she would never even _see_ one of those things again, let alone wear one.

As she went to go out the window, she looked back over the simple, small apartment and sighed. Turning, she jumped out of the window and landed on her feet, before taking off through the streets of Konoha, out of the town.

Ten minutes later, she was at her "escape point." After Sasuke and various other ninja had left, security on the gate had gone up. But Sakura didn't need a gate to get out. Being Tsunade-sama's apprentice paid off, as she found out later, in more ways than one.

When Tsunade had been assessing the damage of the attacks, they had found a large crack in the wall surrounding the village, but it wasn't considered a large enough threat to really repair. No one would think to look in the middle of no where for a way into Konoha. It was just absurd.

Sakura looked over her shoulder as she used the crevice to leave her home town behind, feeling like one of the corny people in a drama movie. Then she walked all the way through, and began to run North West, towards the village hidden in the stones, leaving four letters, and a lot of "unanswered" questions in her wake.

* * *

Itachi and Kisame glared at the new building they were moving into. It was to be their current base, and Deidara would be meeting with them soon to help show them around town. As foolish as Akatsuki may seem, since they would walk into places where there were targets with their cloaks and hats on, they were not nearly as bad as they seemed.

They were in pure civilian clothes whenever they didn't want to be seen or potentially attacked, just like right now. They would have blended in naturally, if it weren't for Itachi's killer, black-eyed, dead pan glare and his odd affinity for black.

Itachi turned his glare to Kisame, clearly asking what the hell they were doing here. Kisame took the glare in, and sighed.

"Welcome to our new home, Itachi," Kisame said, "The village hidden in the stones."

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One: Discovery

The cool chill air that surrounded Sakura kept her awake, even as the mist covering every visible inch was lulling her, the chill told her to keep going. She had gone this far, she just needed a few more miles to get to Stone.

She still had enough food for another day, but as Shizune-san had always told her "Leave not for tomorrow what you can complete today." Tsunade-sama's motto was more like: "Do not today what you can leave off until tomorrow."

Sakura chuckled.

She had enough money to stay a week in a nice inn, and she would let it be known that there was an assassin, body-guard, or even mercenary available. She hoped it would be an assassin or body-guard, but she would need to be able to pay her bills, no matter what. Survival is necessary, no exceptions.

Though she may have already broken rules One and Two, Sakura fully intended to continue following the others. She may have betrayed her country, and she may have betrayed her Team, but she still intended to keep herself alive. Who knows, maybe someday she would finally be able to return to the Leaf Village. Lord knows that if they were under attack, she would return to help them fight off the offender, and stay a little while to help clean up.

She would go back, she promised herself. She would return, she would see her friends, her mentors, again.

She came back to herself from her thoughts and realized she was only just outside the village hidden in the Stones. She looked up at the two guards at the gate, smiling as she walked through. It looked as if it had just opened. It was rather early in the morning, she had to admit to herself.

There weren't many Inns on the Main Street, Sakura soon realized. She didn't want to be in one on the Main Street anyways, it would probably have to much hustle and bustle. She didn't know anyone here.

She kept walking, and took a left down a smaller street, passing by a man dressed all in black, who glared at her as she went by.

Sakura turned. _What was that all about,_ she thought, then she shrugged, turning on her heel and continuing to walk.

There was a nice looking inn next to a small, traditional house. She would stay there, if there was a room open, at least for the time being.

* * *

Itachi leaned against a wall, watching as the girl he recognized as his former target's friend travel down the street and stop in front of an inn next to their "base." She had seemed perplexed that he had glared at her. Did he really look that different in Civillian clothes? Or maybe it was the fact that his hair was down for once.

He watched as she walked into the inn.

She wasn't wearing a headband, or any obvious weapons. Was it possible that she was on vacation leave? No, even then, you were required to wear your headband, just in case there was a person in need nearby. That way, they would be able to contact you in some manner.

Itachi sighed. Well, as long as she didn't bother him, he wasn't going to bother her. It's not like he really cared.

He kept waiting, knowing Kisame would be back soon with their food.

He almost killed Kisame this morning. The idiot could have warned him that he was going to use an illusion to cover the blue skin and gills. Itachi had awoken this morning thinking he was being attacked by a rather loud, happy stranger. Honestly, could Kisame have been more stupid?

He had finally gotten a few hours of sleep last night, and Kisame the idiot had ruined it. He shouldn't have been losing sleep because of how fast he was thinking anymore, he should be used to it. But the nightmares kept coming.

He sighed, and soon heard the giant's unmistakable footsteps. "Oy, Itachi, I got the food," Kisame told him. "Why are you standing out here."

"I was bored," Itachi replied. "Let's go."

* * *

Sakura looked around the room the Inn keeper had given her. It was a soft peach color, and would undoubtedly be absolutely breathtaking in the dawn, when she would be waking up. There was a desk in the corner with a computer on it. The bed was a Queen size, plush, and had pure white bedding spread over it. Sakura looked at the dresser, then put all of her clothes and other things in it, and put the pictures across the top.

She stared at the picture of the original Rookie nine, and sighed. She traced the faces of Naruto and Sasuke, a single tear sliding down her face.

She pulled back.

No reasons for regrets now, she told herself.

* * *

Itachi sighed as he looked down at the note that had accompanied Deidara and, much to his annoyance, "Tobi."

Itachi glared at the diminutive man, thinking of how annoying he was then thought better of it. He would never use that word, Sasuke did. The man was thoroughly _irritating_.

Tobi stared back at Itachi then smirked behind his mask, letting an innocent little voice say "Tobi is a good boy!"

Itachi growled lowly at Tobi. He mustn't tell though. He couldn't. That "man" may be play acting, but he was damn good at it, and Itachi wouldn't be able to come up with enough evidence, especially not so....Spontaneously.

Itachi looked back down at the note in his hand. "So we have to guard this politician?" He asked Deidara.

"Yes, un." Deidara replied. "He's high ranking, a bit eccentric, and _completely_ paranoid, an easy enough job for you two."

"You didn't finish reading the letter, did you?" Itachi asked.

"I skimmed," Deidara mumbled, growing suspicious.

"You are also part of our 'job,'" Itachi explained. "You must stay as well."

Deidara's eyes bugged out. "WHAT?"

"You have to stay," Itachi reiterated, smirking.

"Ah, man!"

"That's what you get for not paying attention," Itachi chided. He enjoyed annoying his little toys.

"Yeah, whatever," Deidara mumbled.

Itachi chuckled lowly, getting up to go get dressed and sharpen some of his favorite weapons.

* * *

Sakura was sitting in a bar just down the street from her newly acquired room at the inn. She had expected to get a job quickly, but never this quickly. Maybe her putting: "Able to prove former enrollment in Leaf Ninja ANBU BlackOps as Captain" on her resume had something to do with it. This was the third job she had gotten, and it had only been two days since she even _got _here. The first she refused because they wanted her to train a boy, and she didn't want to let Leaf Fighting Styles fall into the hands of those below her standards, the second she refused because they wanted her to whore herself off.

She didn't know what this one was about yet, but she hoped it would be better than the last two.

A man walked in the door. Sakura didn't turn around, just listened to his footsteps as he approached. By the space between one footstep and the next, and the loud volume of the sound, she would say he was tall, nicely muscled, and that he was determined and self-assured.

When he sat in front of her, she realized how right her assumptions were. He was about six feet tall, with broad shoulders, and a rather arrogant air. She could clearly see the muscles that his nice clothes did nothing to hide.

"Hello," She told him politely. He grunted in reply. "Are you going to tell me why you called me, or should I just shoot you down and leave?" She asked.

The man looked up at her. "You are smaller, younger, and are less scarred than I expected." He told her.

"I am smaller because I can get into places large males cannot. I am younger because I learn faster. I am less scarred because I know how not to get hit, and how to heal myself. If that's all you came here to say, you have wasted your time," She told him.

The man looked her in the eyes, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled. "You are also able to turn someone's words against them. But can you fight?" He asked.

"I was trained by Lady Tsunade, Hatake Kakashi, and various other people." Sakura said. "I can fight."

"Can you kill?" He asked.

"If I put 'assassin' on my ad, it usually insinuates that I can, and will, kill," Sakura told him.

The man studied her for a moment, then handed her a file. "I need that man dead by the end of the week." He told her.

"I don't want to know about his family life, and I don't want to know why you want him dead," Sakura told him. "I also do _not_ want your name."

"You weren't going to get one."

"Good," Sakura told him. "Bye."

Sakura stood up from the table and out the door, putting the file under one arm. She sighed. _I hope I can kill him at the office,_ she said. _I don't want to look into the eyes of a loved one while I kill him_

* * *

Itachi looked out his window as the girl walked up to the Inn, a file under her left arm.

_She isn't part of Konoha anymore._ He thought. _All their files are given by the Hokage, and I would have recognized Tsunade-sama's power anywhere. _

He watched as a light right across the alley from his came on, giving him a brief glimpse of the girl before she closed the blinds.

Sighing, he went to his bed and lied down. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* * *

Sakura looked at the file in front of her, reading through the man's addresses, jobs, responsibilities, but never his name, whether he was married, or if he had any children.

She would kill him tomorrow, at night, she decided. He would still be at the office, according to his habits, and a day would be enough for her to decide, with the information she already had, how it would be best to kill him.

She read for about ten minutes before getting up to get ready for tomorrow, setting out her uniform, sharpening weapons, etc.

Finally, she turned out the lights, and went to sleep.

The next morning was rather uneventful. Sakura, wearing a genjutsu to make herself invisible, followed the man as he went to breakfast and then to the office. She never noticed the "bodyguards" who were using much the same strategy as herself.

She followed him through the day, and waited until he was just about to leave. He had just turned off the lights in the office and was about to open the door when she snuck up behind him, pressed her hand to his mouth, released her genjutsu, and pressed a blade to his neck. She was about to finish the job when she was yanked back and punched in the gut.

She looked up into a pair of red, blazing eyes, and quickly looked back down. She drew a sword and began to fight him, watching his every movement, but refusing to meet his eyes, meeting his own drawn blade blow for blow. She noticed that the target had shrunken into a corner on the far side of the room, then began focusing on the man she was fighting right now.

* * *

Just his luck, Itachi thought to himself. It was his day to be on guard duty and the girl from the inn next door happens to decide to try and assassinate the politician. He continued to fight her, noticing that she kept her eyes any where but on his own. He smirked. She was good, and smart too.

He was busy fighting her when her charka began to spike, and barely had enough time to brace himself when her other hand came up to punch him in the face, temporarily stunning him.

* * *

Sakura turned around as soon as she brought her hand back, and threw four kunai at the man in the corner, one hitting him in the head, one in the heart, one in the gut, and the last one hit the floor between his legs. As the man slumped, she turned back to her opponent, and took a stance again.

* * *

­­­­­­Itachi cursed himself as he got up, and looked in the corner to find his charge dead. He should have been paying better attention instead of just playing with the girl. Obviously, he had underestimated her.

He glared at the girl before him and began to fight her again, intent on capturing her for the Leader to deal with.

He punched her once, and she disappeared in a puff of smoke. A shadow clone.

Itachi turned around and punched the desk behind him, snapping the offending furniture in two, then began his way to the base, intent on killing the girl before she had the chance to run.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two: OH SHIT!

Sakura ran away from the office, getting to her inn fairly quickly. She skipped the door and jumped straight through her window. This was Uchiha Itachi, and this was the guy she had seen just a day aFocgo. He had been watching her since then.

She quickly grabbed all of her stuff and shoved it into her bag, not caring whether anything got wrinkled, then she jumped back out the window, only to come face to face with the Uchiha Itachi, who was glaring at her.

"You killed my assignment," He told her, a hand pushing her up against the wall of the alley, his red eyes glinting.

"Well, that was my job," she told him.

"Konoha wanted you to kill a small politician? Hardly believable," Itachi muttered.

"Well, maybe it wasn't Konoha that wanted him dead," Sakura told him, trying desperately to get out of his grasp. She put a knee on his inner thigh, working her way up to his groin.

Itachi pushed his knee forward, putting it between her legs, then roughly putting his other knee through.

"That won't work on me," he told her.

"It was worth a shot."

Sakura tried to move one of her arms, but couldn't, as Itachi had both hands captured in one of his much larger ones.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you," Itachi told her.

Sakura closed her eyes, making sure he couldn't use the Mangekyou on her.

_Focus Sakura, _she thought. _You're an ANBU for crying out loud, and he's just toying with you. Think, think, think._

_**Headbutt.**_ Inner Sakura supplied.

_Oh please, that's so stupid._

_**Stupid enough to work. **_

Sakura contemplated what her inner had supplied, then brought her head forward with enough force to make a Ram go "DAMN!"

Itachi staggered back, his mind reeling. Her forehead had hit him in the mouth and nose, the latter of which had begun to bleed profusely.

Sakura made a mad dash around the Uchiha, spinning on her heal and throwing a couple of kunai at him as she did so. Only two of the four hit.

Sakura ran, trying to get out of the alley…

And ran smack dab into Kisame, who was coming out to throw the trash into the big trash can outside.

As Sakura bounced off of the S-class criminal, she fell backwards, and landed with her hands stretched behind to support herself. Quickly, she began to try and right herself, and get away, but Itachi walked up behind her and knocked her out cold.

Kisame stared at Itachi and the pink haired girl in his arms.

"What was that all about?" He asked.

"Our mission is dead," Itachi replied.

"What?" Kisame yelled out.

"You heard me, our mission is dead."

"How?"

"This brat caught me off guard, that's how."

"Brat? Itachi, she can't be six years younger than you are!"

"Does it matter? I'm taking her as our little…guest, until Leader tells us what to do with her," Itachi told him. He hated saying the word "prisoner."

* * *

When Sakura regained consciousness, she was lying in a nice bedroom with all but her mortally necessary charka missing. Cursing, she punched the bed post nearest her head.

Her father had always told her that panic and anger were the two quickest ways to get killed on a battle field. Here she was, a perfect example of that idea. She had panicked, and had effectively gotten herself captured.

_What am I going to do?_ She thought to herself.

_**Getting out would be a start. **_Inner replied.

_No shit, but how do we get out?_

Before her inner could reply to that one, a man walked into the room, his long, blonde hair pulled up into a high half ponytail, only one eye visible, food in his left hand.

"Deidara," Sakura whispered. "I saw you commit suicide!"

"Well, obviously I'm still alive, Pinky, un," Deidara replied.

Sakura's shock was obvious on her face, she was sure, but she had to know one thing.

"I _did_ kill Sasori, right?" Sakura whispered out.

Deidara scowled at her, his already dark mood even darker. "_Yes!_" he told her, putting the food just within her reach.

Sakura sighed. Well, at least she had rid the world of one criminal.

She looked up and saw as Deidara turned from her, his fist balled.

"I'm sorry, but it's my job," she whispered. "I don't like killing…"

Deidara looked back at the girl. She _actually_ seemed _regretful._ "You think people ever _like _it?" he asked.

Sakura snorted. "Only sick bastards."

"Don't be sorry. Regrets are against our nature."

Deidara left directly after saying that.

Sakura stared at the door, a puzzled look on her face. She sighed. She tried to pull on the reserves of chakra she had been building up for years, sealed inside herself, just as Tsunade-sama had trained her. It wasn't there. She gasped. When Uchiha Itachi said he drained you of chakra, he wasn't kidding. He had gotten _everything_.

She looked at the food Deidara had put there for her, and giggled. It looked like the Akatsuki fed prisoners well, quite contrary to what she had thought, as they were usually ruthless. There was chicken and a sauce of some kind, steamed rice, tea, and some stir-fry vegetables.

Sakura looked at it. Could it be poisoned? Yes. Did she really care? No, it would just make sure she would not be an ideal hostage, as she would either be sick or dead. Sakura dug in, getting every bit of food she could stomach, then sat back. That food was delicious.

* * *

Itachi strode swiftly through the hallways, his mind processing what the prisoner was doing, and what would need to be done. He had sent word to Pein just a few hours ago, and should be getting word back in a few days time. He looked at the ceiling. Why didn't ninja just use the various technologies recently developed? Oh, yes, they were easier to track and tamper with.

Itachi sighed as he stood outside the door, readying himself to walk a room with an annoyed, annoying person inside. What he walked in on was actually kind of shocking.

He had waited a few hours before sending word to the Leader, and then had waited another couple of hours before coming to see her. He had figured she would be awake.

Apparently, she had awoken, eaten, and then fallen right back asleep.

Itachi stared at the girl. He had specifically put her on his bed when he had brought her in, as there was no basement, no attic, and no room designated for prisoners. Now, she was sitting on the floor with her arms on the bed, pillowing her head.

It would have been cute, if it hadn't been for the fact that he was Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Itachi _did not_ use the word "cute."

He sat on the bed, staring at her. She eventually began to stir, blinking twice as she woke up.

She looked up at him, glared, and then sat all of the way up.

"You drained my chakra," she told him, venom in her voice.

"Correct, girl," Itachi replied, a single eyebrow arched over his emotionless, red eyes.

"Look, I can't tell you anything you don't already know," she told him.

"You are here until Leader decides what to do with you."

"Fine, then leave me be, I'm tired. I'm dependant on my chakra to help me with healing muscle and small cuts when I get into fights. Now I have to do it the hard way," Sakura muttered.

"This is my room," Itachi told her. "I don't have to leave."

Sakura glared at him, got up, and went to a chair in the corner. She fell into the chair, curled up, and closed her eyes. "Just don't stare at me. I _know_ I'm the freak with the big forehead and pink hair. Good night."

Itachi glared at her, then stripped to just a black t-shirt and his boxers, then got under the covers, and shut his eyes, disabling the Sharingan somewhere during the process. "There isn't much to see in that corner of the room," he told her, knowing it was wasted on a sleeping person. He fell asleep quickly, keeping an ear and an "alarm jutsu" on just incase she tried to bolt.

* * *

Sakura was awoken by someone tossing and turning in the room, mumbling out "no, no, no!" in their sleep. She could hear them mumbling names. There was a blood-curdling scream, and sobs, and more mutterings of "no."

She couldn't stand it anymore. She had always had that streak of caring in her that screamed to help others. She stood up to see Itachi tossing and turning on the bed, the covers thrown off.

Walking over to the bed, a bit unsure of herself, Sakura sat on the edge, slowly scooting over to be right next to the troubled man. She reached out tensely, softly touching his forehead. She wiped off the sweat that accumulated there, and began to whisper to him.

"Calm down, it'll be alright, it's just a nightmare," she told him, hoping against the odds that he wouldn't wake up, just relax.

It seemed to work. Itachi leaned over and hugged her waist, burying his head in her midsection. She could feel the tears on his face, mixed with the sweat, seep through her shirt. She rubbed the back of his head. "See, it's not so bad," she told him. _Just don't wake up. Just don't wake up._

She knew it was wrong, to comfort her captor, but she couldn't help it. He looked so…helpless.

Sakura continued to rub his hair, marveling at how soft it was. Unlike his brother, Itachi didn't put tons of gel in his hair apparently.

She held him close, letting him live through the nightmare. She didn't know what he was dreaming about, but she had experience with these. She called them "soldier dreams." She even got them. She remembered having to calm down ninjas in the hospital, comfort them. She remembered having to be comforted herself. She always had the same dream. She was on a mission in mist, and had to kill two men, but a little boy got in the way, and she had been moving to fast, she hadn't meant to, but his blood would forever stain her hands.

She didn't know when she drifted off into sleep, but she eventually did, just falling asleep against the headboard.

* * *

Itachi had been having the same nightmare for years. It was always the massacre, seeing his own mother's blood slip off his katana, hear his own father's voice asking him to spare the children, or at least Sasuke, and feeling the dirty, nasty blood caked on his body.

He started screaming and crying when the bodies came back, glaring at him. His father saying he was a disappointment, his mother saying that she should have killed herself rather than give birth to a monster, and his brother say "I _never_ want to be anything like you!"

He understood where all of them came from, even though it was just a dream, but it still hurt.

He remembered the first time he had this dream. He had been on his first mission with Kisame, and had woken up with his arms wrapped around the man, crying his eyes out. Kisame had comforted him, telling him it was natural. That even he had them. That every soldier or ninja had them.

It didn't help.

He was just beginning to see his best friend's snarling face when he heard the voice.

"Calm down, it'll be alright, it's just a nightmare," the voice said. He felt calmer.

He reached out, trying to grab at his own angel.

"See, it's not so bad."

He stopped having any dreams. All he saw was pure white. He could feel the hand on his forehead, and hear the breathing in his ear, but it was all so _nice_.

The next morning, Itachi woke up warm, with a very nice, comfortable pillow under his ear. The only thing was, the pillow was moving, and he could distinctly hear a heartbeat.

He blinked, sitting up reluctantly. He was holding onto the kunoichi, who was leaning up against his headboard, her hand rubbing his back, even in his sleep.

He stared at her, not believing what he was seeing. He had never had much experience with kunoichi, but he had heard about this. His father once told him that it was their compassion that was their greatest weakness, and their most terrible weapon.

He watched as the sunlight from the window woke her up, her face scrunching up.

Sakura looked down at him, smiling.

"Are you going to be alright?" she asked.

He glared at her, his eyes flashing red for a second, but not in pure anger. "I'll be fine."

Itachi got up and dressed, moving to leave the room.

"It was about the massacre, wasn't it?" Sakura asked before she could stop herself.

Itachi turned towards her, his eyes red with anger.

"I know the truth behind that," Sakura told him, dropping her eyes. "There was nothing the Hokage could do. It was already too late by the time he figured out what ROOT and the elders had told you to do. I'm sorry, I guess I kind of abused my privilege to use the Hokage's library, but I had to know."

Itachi glared at her, then turned and left the room.

**Review People! I see **_**alerts**_** just no **_**reviews!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three: Thinking

Sakura stared at the door as Itachi's footsteps got fainter and fainter, then sighed. She hadn't meant to insult him, or make him feel angry, she just couldn't rein in her words in time. She sighed, turning away from the door. That's when she realized it.

Itachi had forgotten to drain her chakra. She teased the edges of her chakra, trying to bring it to the surface, and jumped, flipping over backward as she did so.

She landed on the ceiling, her feet firmly planted and cemented. She dropped back down off the ceiling.

Inner Sakura did a little victory dance inside Sakura's mind, and the outer, more visible Sakura smirked, the expression bringing a little spark to her eyes. Now all she needed was to find a way out. She looked at the window, and walked over to it. That way out was null, she soon found, as it exuded power, and would probably just harm her. She should've known that Itachi was smarter than that.

She went to the only door out, and had to stagger back. The door literally _shoved_ her.

She glared at the door, then the window. Okay, so the boy was good. She walked over to the window again, just enough to check how far off from the ground she was. Breaking down a wall may be louder, but she really didn't care. She _was _going to get out. She was only a floor off of the ground.

She reached out and touched the wall near the corner, where the seal on the window was weakest, and could feel yet another seal. She knew the _ceiling_ had a weak seal on it, the floor would probably be protected as well, and there were no ways out.

Sakura plopped down on the edge of the bed. She glared at the floor. The entire room was _sealed_ for crying out loud. Damn it, but she had to admit, Uchiha Itachi was _damn_ good, not just good.

She looked up at the ceiling and fell back onto the bed, sighing. _It looks like today is going to be a very long day._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#$$#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Itachi looked over his head at the bird circling down. Leader had _never _replied that fast. It was one of the reasons Sasori had hated contacting the man, he had hated having to wait.

He stretched out his cloaked left arm, waiting for the bird to land on it. He could clearly see the white scroll tied on, with the black seal standing out plainly. Itachi inwardly winced when the bird dug its claws in.

He untied the scroll from the falcon's leg, and watched as it flew off. Obviously a summon. From the corner of his eye, he caught a black cat round the corner, probably a stray, so he ignored it.

He broke the seal surrounding the scroll and unrolled it.

_Itachi,_

_Leave the girl alive. DO NOT KILL HER, and DO NOT TORTURE HER. She is the apprentice of the current Hokage, and has learned from Chiyo and various other kunoichi and healers. I had someone research her and keep an eye on her ever since she destroyed Sasori. Try __**anything **__to try to recruit her. It won't be easy, but it might help us in the long run. After all, your eyes and Kisame's immune system are going fast._

_Pein_

Itachi stared at the page. He knew there was a vacancy, but recruit her? She seemed to caring to be a member. She was strong, but she had more compassion than everyone in the Akatsuki put together.

He sighed, and looked up at his bedroom window. That girl was probably throwing a hissy fit. He hoped she hadn't broken anything. After all, the room was sealed, the furniture and his clothing were not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#$$#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura was just staring mindlessly at the ceiling when Hana walked carelessly from the shadows, across the room, and hopped up onto the bed.

Hana stared at her for a few seconds, then dropped to lay down, rolling on her back right next to Sakura. "What happened?" she asked.

"Ugh! I killed a man protected by the Akatsuki," Sakura replied.

"Two of the recipients sent replies," Hana muttered.

"Let's see them," Sakura sighed.

Hana rolled to her feet. Sakura reached over into the two cylinders with small, white scrolls in them, pulling them out. She read the names. The first was from Sasuke. The second was from Naruto. She read Naruto's first.

_Hey, Sakura-chan…_

_I really don't know what to say. I guess I should start off by saying that Tsunade-sama says you are welcome back, as long as you take the punishment for whatever crimes you commit. I forgive you, I would even if you tried to kill me, and I know everyone else feels the same way. Well, everyone else that matters. The Elders want you hunted down, but who listens to them? Even Sai told them to "leave the old hag alone."_

_I love you, "lil sis," remember that,_

_Naruto._

Sasuke's looked longer. She was more reluctant to read that one.

After staring at it for ten minutes, Sakura unrolled it.

_Sakura,_

_Watch yourself. I won't be there to save you the next time you get into a tight spot. No one will. Try to stay out of trouble. You're strong, but the bigger we are, the harder we fall, the bigger the boom we make when our fat heads hit the ground. Take it from someone who learned the hard way. _

_Lie low for a while. I hope you have some money saved up somewhere. I just had Orochimaru. Naruto lived off Jiriya for a while. _

_Like I said, keep your head above water and you should be able to make it. The rest of us have, even if one of us has returned, Team Seven seem to always be on the run, huh?_

_Bye,_

_Sasuke._

_P.S. If you meet him, leave Itachi for me._

Sakura read the letter to herself twice, then placed it aside. She sighed as she lay back down on the bed, pulling Hana onto her chest.

"I just don't know what to do, Hana," Sakura sighed. Hana looked up at Sakura.

"I don't know what to tell you, Sakura," Hana mumbled. Then she disappeared with a poof.

Ten seconds later, a rather irritated Itachi walked into the room.

Sakura stared at his expression, and couldn't help herself. "Geez, Daisy, what's got your panties in a bunch?" she asked.

Itachi glared at the woman in front of him. "Would you like to join the Akatsuki?" Hi bit out. He wasn't one to beat around the bush, ever, and he figured the direct approach would be best with this girl.

Sakura took a double take. "Join…the…Akatsuki…?" She mumbled.

Itachi nodded.

"Well…I'll have to think about it," Sakura mumbled.

_**Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Don't worry, we aren't even **__**near**__** the climax of the story.**_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Four: Decisions, Decisions, Old Friends, Decisions, Indecisison, _**Itachi! Where are my CLOTHES!!**_

Sakura watched as Itachi tapped impatiently on the arm of the chair as he thought. The scowl on his face replaced the usual, blank, nasty look he presented to the world. He was staring at her with those eyes, black, bleak, flat eyes. There wasn't any spark in those yet. She would be honestly frightened if there was a spark in his eyes.

Anger would be worse than aggravation.

Sakura sighed.

Itachi looked up at her and glared.

"I need to know more," Sakura told him. "I'm not going to make a decision based on just the few things I know about the Akatsuki!"

"I can't tell you anything," Itachi muttered.

"Well, then let me out. Maybe Deidara or Fishy-head will know something," Sakura told him.

"No, I can't do that either, you have to join before _any_ of us can tell you anything."

Sakura sighed and sat back against the headboard. Itachi's fingers continued their drum-roll. Resigned, she looked up at him. "If I decide not to join, what will the consequence be?"

Itachi looked up. He hadn't thought of that answer, so he just gave the most likely. "Death, most likely."

Sakura looked at the patch of wall just above Itachi's head.

He had said it so nonchalantly. The words began to ring through her head: _Death, most likely, Death, most likely, Death, Death, Death._

She wished she could master that emotionless tone, just once, even in her thoughts, but she couldn't. She was a naturally emotional person. Itachi may be able to pretend that his emotions do not exist, and make everyone around him believe it, but Sakura could not.

It was about then that Sakura noticed the odd scent. The area around her smelled of sweat, blood, and grime. She began to look around for the source, then looked at herself. She grimaced. It looked like _she_ was the smell. She looked up shyly at Itachi.

"Itachi-kun, do you think I could have my bag?" She asked.

"Why?" Itachi replied, using the all famous question as an answer.

"I really, really, really need a shower, Itachi-kun," Sakura said, smiling at him.

Itachi glared at the girl in front of him. The bathroom had a seal on it, he had made sure of that the first time she had asked to go to the bathroom. Of course, like the idiot he sometimes acted, he had asked: "Why?" and had gotten the much foreseen answer of "Because I need to take a shit!"

Itachi had been aggravating her for hours on end when he had asked that question, which was probably why she gave such a coarse reply, but the anger in her voice had been enough to send chills up _his _spine.

He sighed. "Come with me, take your shower, and I will find your backpack while you are bathing."

Sakura got up from the bed and followed him almost dutifully. He took her to the bathroom and opened up the closet door, grabbing a towel and a wash cloth. He put them the towel rack next to the shower and turned towards the shower, turning it on.

He looked around, doing a quick check to make sure she wouldn't get anything of his. Kisame and Deidara's stuff was free game, though. As he was making a sweep of the shower, he noticed something on the shelf of the shower. Quickly, before she could see it, he snapped his hand out, grabbed the little box, and put it in the pocket on the inside of his sleeve usually reserved for small scrolls or weapons.

He turned around.

"I presume you know that the knob marked 'hot' is for hot water and the knob marked 'cold' is for cold water?" he asked.

Sakura gave him a "no shit Sherlock" glare.

"I'll take that as a 'yes, Itachi-kun, I do," Itachi told her, a smirk threatening to lift the corners of his mouth.

He turned around and left the bathroom, letting her get undressed and in the shower. He was giving her privacy, but he was still just outside the door as a constant, yet unseen threat.

As soon as he was certain she was in the shower, he walked in, grabbed her clothes, and took them to the laundry room.

Sakura was just finishing washing her body from head to toe, watching the gunk that had been caked on after days without a shower run down the drain, when she heard the door open and close. Itachi must've already found her backpack.

She looked around for some kind of shampoo. There was the same kind she used on one of the top shelves in the corner, the only question was could she reach it?

Sakura took a step to the back of the shower, reaching up with her right hand and balancing with her left to get to the shampoo. She finally reached it, and poured it out onto her hand. She breathed in the familiar scent of strawberry kiwi shampoo and began to lather it into her hair, humming a catchy tune under her breath.

Honestly, "Shut up and Sleep With Me," by "Sin with Sebastian" was probably one of the nastiest, catchiest songs she had ever heard, and she had heard quite a few in her eighteen years of life.

Sakura turned to put the shampoo back on the shelf, made sure it was all out of her hair, then turned around and stepped out of the shower.

Sakura looked around for her bag, but didn't seem to find it. She did another sweep over the bathroom, keeping the towel she had picked up securely tied above her breasts.

There were no clothes, and there was no bag. Not even her dirty clothes were where she had left them. Obviously, Itachi had _not_ brought in her stuff. There was no way she was going to become Akatsuki when there was already a non-working system going on.

Sakura spun on her heel, just making sure there was nothing besides the towel that she could use. She walked over to the door. At least it wasn't sealed like seemingly every other way out in this house. She opened it and stepped out into the hallway, looking both ways.

"**Itachi WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?"** Sakura yelled out.

Itachi looked up from the laundry room on the first floor. He hadn't found anything of hers, and was just putting her things in the washer. In his hands he was holding her pink lacy underwear set. Needless to say, he was a humorous sight to behold.

As soon as all of Sakura's things were in the washer, he walked up to the third floor, looking for the girl. He got to the hallway where his room was pretty quickly, and witnessed her trying to open the door forcefully.

Deidara was standing a few doors down, watching her and chuckling, a different emotion than "amusement" in his eyes. Itachi growled lowly, not really wanting to deal with the bed-hopping blond right now.

"Sakura," Itachi drawled.

Sakura spun around. "Where are my clothes?" she asked.

"Deidara brought your bag in, but I couldn't find it," Itachi replied. He reached around her to grasp the door handle. It opened without even a creak in protest. He raised a teasing eyebrow at her. He wasn't emotionless, even he had to admit. He was just better at hiding his emotions…usually.

Sakura glared at Itachi as she walked into the room, sitting in the chair in the corner.

Itachi looked over at Sakura, then went over to his dresser, taking out a t-shirt and a pair of boxers. He put them next to her, then turned his back on her and left the room.

As soon as Itachi was out of the room, Sakura jumped out of the chair and grabbed the clothes he had left there. She pulled on the boxers first, then pulled the overly large t-shirt over her head.

She looked over at the door. "I'm decent," she yelled.

Itachi walked in the door and took a step back. There was no way around it. Sakura looked downright hot in his clothes. He hadn't expected that from her, as she usually looked a bit childish. He wasn't saying she wasn't attractive, but she was usually cute, as Deidara had brought to his attention, now she looked almost hot.

Key word: almost. Uchiha Itachi would never admit any female was "hot," not even to himself.

Sakura looked up at him. "We need to find my clothes," she muttered. "I feel like I'm swimming."

Itachi looked down at her. He wasn't that much bigger than her. But he usually wore his clothes a bit baggy anyway, so it was believable that she would be uncomfortable, especially with the too-tight, almost binding clothes that kunoichi usually wore.

Itachi sighed, then turned around, leaving to go speak with Deidara.

**Sorry!! I know it's short but I didn't want to keep the people who care waiting too long! I feel horrible. I was updating everyday until today. GOMEN-ASAI!!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Five: Clothes…

Deidara had willingly Itachi all of Sakura's clothes, minus one pair of pink, cherry-blossom print underwear, but Itachi knew that the clothes she brought were going to make her stick out in a crowd even more than her pink hair did. So far as he knew, there were three people in the world with pink hair.

At least she no longer wore her headband, though she said that even if she did join Akatsuki, she would never cross out the symbol.

He understood, he really did, but he would have crossed it out. Somehow, to know that they tried to kill all of his family, and almost succeeded by making him do it, made him feel an animosity towards his former nation with such a passion as to physically harm him.

Itachi looked into the pack, his newly won prize, and sighed. All of the clothes were too noticeable. As a prisoner of the Akatsuki, or even as a potential member, she had to be nearly invisible. These clothes were way too…individual. The colors flaunted the Haruno symbol, and the design screamed "High-ranking nin!"

He sighed, picked out the only plain clothing he saw, which happened to be civilian and utterly useless, dumped the chosen clothes and all of her weapons on the floor, and stashed the bag and everything left in it in a trash can. He glared at it for a few seconds before moving so quickly that even the Sharingan would have a hard time seeing, and black fire erupted from the trash can.

Itachi doused the fire as soon as the contents of the bin were incinerated. He opened a nearby window and tossed everything out, leaving the window open to vent out the rather noxious fumes.

Next, Itachi slipped into his bedroom, fully intending to tell the girl to get dressed quick, because he was taking her clothes shopping. Itachi's master plans were delayed, however, as soon as he saw the small, curled up figure on his bed.

He sighed as he placed the clothes on his dresser, stepping over to the armchair in the corner and sinking into its plushy, too-soft groove.

He had been sitting there a while when he noticed she was shivering. He couldn't feel the chill, because he was wearing the thick wool cloak all Akatsuki Members were required to, but he knew that the heater was hardly, if ever, turned on.

Itachi was going to move the blankets and cover her, but by the way she was lying, she would wake up. He didn't know why he didn't want her to awaken, but he didn't. Itachi wasn't being kind, or at least that's what he told himself, he was being selfish. If he woke up the girl, she would be loud, and mean, and he would have a headache.

He reached up to undo the snaps of his cloak, scowling at the familiar "click, click, click," sound that it made.

Pulling said cloak from his shoulders, Itachi carefully arranged it around Sakura, tucking her in gently as he used to do to his younger brother when he came in late from a mission. Lord knew that his father never did, to either of them, and their mother was always tired. Itachi frequently used to forget that his mother had to care for all of the clan, organizing gatherings, and all the things that went on inside the compound Itachi used to call home. He wished that at least Mikoto, his mother, was still alive. He wished he hadn't been such a stupid little boy when he was thirteen.

He heard a small mumble, and looked down as Sakura grabbed the edge of his cloak and curled up on her side with it. When she inhaled, he could see a smile appear on her face.

"Itachi-kun…" she sighed.

Itachi stared at the girl. Was she becoming comfortable with him? Attached, perhaps? No, he was sure it was just the fact that the cloak smelled like him.

Then again, she wasn't an Inuzuka, nor a Jinchuuriki, she shouldn't have been able to have such a subconscious, clear sense of smell-identification.

Sighing, he left that ramble for another day. He was tired, though he was loath to admit it, and the only remedy would be sleep.

Itachi turned and looked at the uncomfortably squishy chair, then back at _his_ Queen sized bed. No way was he trading _his _bed for a stupid armchair. Sakura would just have to deal with it.

The next morning, the bed's occupants woke up in a very odd position. Somehow during the night, they had ended up tangled together, comfortably holding each other. Itachi had woken up first, of course, and was looking down at Sakura's head when she woke up and, naturally, turned her face to look at her observer…

Which brought both of their lips together, making them kiss each other. They just stared at each other for a few seconds before Sakura melted into it. She couldn't help it, Itachi _was_ hot, damn him, and his lips were so soft.

As a natural reaction, Itachi responded in a similar reaction, kissing Sakura back. Soon enough, they were making out and enjoying every second of it.

When Itachi finally pulled back, he looked a bit confused. He stared down at the girl, who was now thoroughly flushed, and a puzzled scowl set over his handsome features.

Sakura stared up at him. Seeing any emotion on Itachi's face startled her, and she mistook the scowl of confusion on Itachi's face for one of anger. She looked down.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, feeling embarrassed, "I know you probably didn't like that. I won't do it again, if I can avoid it."

Itachi stared at the girl. She was obviously clueless.

"That isn't the problem, Sakura," Itachi told her, getting up out of the bed, and walking out the door.

Sakura stared after him, watching as the door swung back and shut lightly in its frame.

Then what is the problem? She asked herself.

Itachi stood outside the door of his room, masking his chakra and sinking down with his back against the wall. Him not enjoying their little make-out session was not the problem. It was quite the opposite.

Itachi's problem was that he _had _enjoyed it. He enjoyed it far better than the kisses he got from any other female before Sakura. He had enjoyed it so much he was currently questioning his own sanity, and while he had question his sanity before, now it was in the fact that he felt attracted to this girl. No, attraction was too small of a word. He felt attached to the girl. Emotionally, and sexually.

It was simple, but complex, all in one. He cared for the girl. He snorted. He did not care for anyone anymore. People die to easily, he told himself.

_Oh, but you do like her, you do, you do_, he could hear a voice in his mind state. _You like her a lot. It's called a crush, and it'll be there for a very long time._

Itachi stared at the wall. No matter that the voice was a sign of probable insanity, the term seemed to fit.

Uchiha Itachi had a crush on Haruno Sakura. There it was, simple and clean. He looked around him for a few seconds. This "crush" thing was making him all distracted. Looking up at the ceiling, Itachi practiced what was quickly becoming a rather horrid, despicable, obviously-connected-to-Sakura habit, he sucked in a long, deep breath, and sighed.

Sakura had been staring at the door for what seemed like hours. She knew she had a crush on the elder Uchiha Brother, she was admitting it. It was so much like her infatuation with Sasuke, but much, much stronger. She was almost floored when she found out how much more strongly she was attracted to Itachi rather than Sasuke.

She had kissed him, and he had kissed back…Good lord, she was going to turn back into the fangirl she used to be if this kept up.

Sakura stared at her hands, fisted in the cloak she had woken up curled in. It smelled of spice, a little sweat, and tangy ashes, both new and old. Obviously the clothes of a fire-based person. She inhaled as much of the smell as she could.

Good lord, she was love-struck, yet again by a heartless, no-time-for-nonsense, Uchiha male.

Sakura decided right then and there that she had the worst luck of any one person in the Universe, young and old.

Could she choose any worse twice in a row?

**A/N: I'm only going to be able to really update every weekend. Yeah, I know I started off updating every day, but Science Fair is coming up, and I need a project. Stupid Pre- AP classes.**


	7. Chapter 7

Itachi had been careful when addressing Sakura for the past few hours. To Sakura, it seemed he was becoming more and more guarded, keeping even more to himself in an effort to shut her, as an intruder out. He had come in, and, before she could say anything, had told her that he was taking her clothes shopping. She was not to get any clothing that made her stick out in the usual crowd of the small village they were staying in.

He had glared at her every time she had even begun to think about striking up a conversation. She could tell he was using his rather deadly Mangekyou to predict, by her mannerisms, when she was going to try to speak. Overall, awkwardness ensued, following the couple like a black cloud, or a black hole, more likely, sucking up all of the things around them.

Itachi had been following her around docilely, Sakura noticed, and had only had one true moment of uneasiness at any time while they were shopping. Sakura had been trying on a slinky black halter dress that billowed out a little for a nice mini skirt. Itachi had seemed to glare at her. She had thought he was angry.

That was, until she saw the blood dripping almost imperceptibly from his nostrils.

Shocked, Sakura had stared, leaning forward(consequently making the nosebleed worse), she brushed the blood off of his face, then trailed her hands over the bags under his eyes.

"Even the great Uchiha Itachi is a little bit of a pervert," she whispered, looking at the dark lines that marked his insomnia.

Itachi glared at her. It would have looked so much more deadly if it weren't for the nervous, giddy feeling he hadn't had in his heart since he was much, much smaller. He thanked all gods that might exist that he had been trained so well to hide his emotions.

Itachi had promised himself he wouldn't get caught in a situation like this. He wouldn't let his instincts and attraction get the best of him. He would keep his head above water, no matter how delicious and tempting the smooth, silky, beautiful water was, especially when lit by the nice light pinks of the sunset over the clear, green water, but somehow…

…he became ensnared.

As he stared into Sakura's eyes, watching as she looked over him, he couldn't help it. He leaned forward, just a bit, as they were already close, and brought his lips to lightly meet hers, his eyes closing as he reveled in the smooth, if a little chapped, lips that had called his attention.

Sakura gasped a little, providing Itachi with a perfect opportunity. Pretty soon, the couch that Itachi had been sitting on while waiting was supporting both of their weights.

A few minutes after they had begun, and after a few two second breaks, Itachi pulled back and looked the pink-haired temptress in the eyes.

"We need to fix this," he muttered.

"Yes, "Sakura agreed, her eyes flickering between his red irises and his lips. "But what constitutes fixing?" she asked.

Itachi sighed. How to answer? He was forced to confess that he didn't have an answer for that particular question.

He could easily say "Forget it," but then they would both be even more unhappy than before, after all, even he would be plagued with the "what if" s when he couldn't sleep at night, which was often. On the other hand, he could ask her to be his, if just for a while, but there was a slight problem. No matter how short the relationship last, Akatsuki members were only allowed to date other Akatsuki members, which is why almost every Akatsuki member was single.

Itachi looked Sakura in the eyes, thinking of the best way to say what was on his mind without making her angry at him.

First, she needed to get out of that outfit and into her clothes, otherwise, he didn't know that they would make it through the conversation.

Since when had he _ever _acted with such brainlessness?

"Sakura," Itachi muttered. The kunoichi turned her head up from where it had been lying on his chest while he thought. Usually, he would have killed even a girl he took for a one night stand if she touched him after the deed was done. The girl had not done anything for him, and yet she was just lying on him. He must be sick. "Go get changed," Itachi mumbled in her ear.

After they had bought all the clothes Sakura had picked out, and the necessities of everyday living as a girl(Itachi stood _outside _the door of _that_ particular shop), they went back to the base. Sakura wanted to run, she really did, but Itachi was still sucking out all of her chakra before they even left the house.

It was actually getting rather annoying.

When they got to Itachi's room, where Sakura was still staying, Sakura glared at him.

Itachi couldn't help it, he sighed, or at least half sighed. He caught himself half way through it, mentally berating himself. This girl could get under his skin. It must be a great power in a Medic, to be able to manipulate your patient's emotions. He wondered if it was also effective in a fight. After all, inducing anger in an opponent would cause them to hit harder, but they would be aiming less and just blowing off steam.

He mentally noted that, storing it away to write on a scroll as a positive trait. He, like all of the other members in their base, were to note any positive or negative attributes that their prospect had whenever there was an opportunity. He vaguely wondered if Deidara would put down: "she wears pretty underwear," as a positive trait and "she uses my shampoo," as a negative. The idiot _had _been trying to piss off the leader more and more lately.

Privately, Itachi thought he was suicidal.

It was then, during the "suicidal" bit that Itachi registered the hand waving in front of his face in an effort to get his attention.

Gods damn it. The only other person who had gotten him this comfortable was his own mother! Not even Sasuke was able to get Itachi completely comfortable.

He glared at the pink haired girl in front of him. Sakura glared right back, though her eyes were skeptical.

"I need to do laundry, Itachi," she mumbled.

Itachi turned his eyes to the pile of new clothes at his door, then at the girl still dressed in her civilian clothing. He turned away from her, grabbed the bags, and held the door open to let her through first. He had to remind himself yet again that he was _not _being nice to her, he was being practical. If he closed the sealed door and went to wash her clothes, underwear and all, then came back, she would most likely throw a fit. If he had allowed her to see his back, he would be a much easier target. Not to mention the fact that he got easily distracted in her presence.

Sakura walked past Itachi, keeping alert as he walked silently behind her. She went down the stairs with the quiet, practiced ease of the assassin she was, and he went with the silence and ease of a shadow. Hopping the last two steps, she began her trek down another flight of stairs, getting to the first floor. She opened the door, then waited for Itachi to tell her where to go.

"The laundry room is the third door on the left," he told he, "Right before the kitchen."

Sakura walked down the hallway.

"You know what?" she asked, but didn't pause for an answer from him. "We have barely talked at all today."

Itachi looked at her, recounting every word said in a waking moment today. She was right, if she compared him to the normal person, who liked to talk very much. For him, this was rather much.

"I talk more to you than I do my own partner," he finally told her. "I count that as very much."

Sakura looked back at him over her shoulder as she went through the door of the laundry room. She looked around. There was a washer, a dryer, and a small couch. The folding table to one side was up against a wall and currently empty. There were three hampers, one black, one blue, and one a bright, cheery yellow.

"Don't you have to talk to your partner in most situations?" Sakura asked him, sitting on the floor. Itachi gave her a pointed look, allowing his eyes to flash briefly to red. "Well, I suppose not," she muttered, sounding a little deflated.

Itachi sat gracefully right next to her, then emptied out the bags of clothes on the clean, mopped floor.

"You know, I don't think Sasuke can do that," Sakura mumbled, looking down at the shirt she was pulling tags and stickers off of."

Itachi looked up at her, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't think Sasuke can flash between the Sharingan and his normal eyes so quickly," Sakura clarified.

Itachi began to help Sakura sort through the clothes, contemplating answering her. In the end, it wouldn't matter. If he told her, and she joined the Akatsuki, she would most likely just see it as a snippet of information about her comrade. If he told her and she didn't join, she would die.

Itachi looked up briefly from the pair of pants in his hands and into Sakura's face. "If Sasuke were to ever be able to do things as I do, then my entire scheme of making him hate me will have worked too well. This is caused by an instability in my emotions."

Sakura stared at him. She knew there were two main emotions that caused the Sharingan to activate: lust and anger.

"So you hide your emotions, but you get angry very easily?" she asked.

Itachi simply nodded, his face blank, his eyes their usual lazy, blank, clouded color.

Soon, they were done sorting the clothes into their separate piles. While the first load, Dark Colors, was in the wash, Sakura sat on the couch, Itachi sitting on the floor near her legs. It wasn't long before he heard her breathing and heart rate even out, and felt the pressure of her lying on the couch directly behind him.

Sighing, he picked her up, pulling her into his arms and walking up to their room. A part of him, very deeply concealed, even for the most part from him, liked the sound of that. He brushed it off. It was his room, she just stayed in it with him.

He came into his room and pulled the covers back with one arm, lying Sakura down on the bed beneath them.

He would have thought she was weak for needing so much rest, if it weren't for the fact that she had no chakra, because of him, left in her than was vitally necessary. For some odd reason he felt guilty because of that. As a ninja, she was very dependent on her extra chakra to stay alive, and he had taken it from her.

He looked down at her, calm, smiling face, then walked around the bed to what was quickly becoming "his side," no, no, it was _his entire bed. _He took off his cloak, letting the snaps fill the room, then he took off his shirt, and slipped into bed beside Sakura. Sighing, he drifted off into his meditative state, and eventually to sleep.

Naruto stared at the letter he had carried in his pocket for the past week. Had it really been that long? Yes. His best friend had left a week ago, and had told them that she wouldn't, no, couldn't come back in good conscience. He wondered silently if she was okay.

Tsunade put her on the "missing" list, but not on the criminal list. So far as they had seen, she had not done anything against their allies, Suna. She wasn't really a threat. She had told them just to call if they were to need her, and even left an extra scroll for her favorite summon-able cat.

He sighed, sinking against the monument he was leaning on. "Sakura-chan, if you're out there, take care of yourself. Stay out of trouble."

He spotted Hinata out of the corner of his eye and began making his way over to her, taking long, regular strides.

He walked up to her and let himself be noticed before saying, "Hi, Hinata-chan, I was wondering, do you want to go out to eat tonight? Don't worry, It's not Ichiraku's and I will pay…"


	8. Chapter 8

Hinata blushed a flame-bright red when Naruto, after taking her to a nice restaurant, walked her all the way to her door. She didn't mean the _compound_ door, he actually walked with her past the guards and to the door of her personal quarters. She looked up at him, wanting to tell him good bye, but not sure how to. She had never been in this situation. She wished Sakura was here, or that Ino was more approachable.

Naruto looked down at Hinata. _She looks so cute when she blushes, _he thought. He brought his hand to her chin, turned her face gently to the side, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Hinata-chan," Naruto told her.

Hinata almost fainted, but kept herself on her feet. "Goodnight Naruto-kun," she whispered, then turned into her bedroom.

Naruto turned and walked out of the compound.

_Huh, looks like Sakura-chan was right. She really does like me_.

Somehow, Sakura and Itachi had once again turned over and cuddled together in the night, except she was on top of him, her legs on either side of his. He had his arms wrapped securely around her when she woke up, one across the small of her back and the other slightly lower. She looked down at him. He looked almost peaceful, sleeping there, but the dark lines around his eyes made him look permanently stressed somehow. Like an old man in a way.

She was surprised as she looked down at him. Usually, he was awake when she woke up, or if he wasn't, stirred almost as soon as she began to open her eyes.

She leaned down a little, examining the bags. If she had chakra, she could take care of that. It wouldn't be too hard, she decided. It was just a small repair to the skin cells, and he would just need to sleep more often when she finished.

Sleep.

She could imagine why that might be a problem. She had nightmares that made her an occasional insomniac, too. His were probably more horrific, though.

She felt Itachi arch a little underneath her and his eyes tensed. He kicked once, then rolled over, taking her with him. He began to mumble incoherently, proof of said horrific nightmares.

Sakura brought her hand up and began to run it through his hair, which had fallen out of its usual band. She whispered in his ear, not really saying anything. His grip on her tightened more, becoming a little painful. She had to wake him up. He wouldn't want to wake up with her in his arms, though.

**Well, he does seem to like kissing an awful lot, **a voice she hadn't heard in years muttered.

_I thought I got rid of you_, Sakura thought back.

**Nah, I'm here. **

_And how do you suppose he'll react if we kiss him awake?_

**Who knows, who cares?**

_Why bring it up if you don't care?_

**I care about the fact that Itachi likes you.**

_Whatever._

**I dare you to try and kiss him. **

_How can you dare yourself to do anything?_

**Very simply, besides you really want to kiss him, or else I wouldn't be telling you to.**

…_damn, you got me._

Sakura tried to wake him up the way she would wake up Naruto when he would fall asleep on her in a mission.

"Itachi," she said softly, poking him in the gut. All he did was hold her tighter, crushing the air out of her lungs.

_Okay, desperate times call for desperate measures._

Sakura tilted her head up and kissed Itachi lightly on the lips, closing her eyes, to avoid having to meet his glare, especially if he had the sharingan on.

-----++-----

Itachi was having the nightmare again, his brother glaring at him, telling him he didn't care if it was ordered, and that it was a waste to have saved him. Watching Sasuke raise his sword and commit suicide, and knowing that he had caused it, that instead of making him stronger, it made him insane, depressed.

He could hear someone say something, but he didn't want to watch it, he curled up on himself.

Then he felt a pair of soft lips against him, and he was being pulled from where he was.

_Just a dream, _he thought.

-----++-----

Itachi's eyes opened, Sakura could feel it in the way he tensed for a bit, but she dared not open her eyes, for fear that she would look up into her own personal hell. As soon as his hold loosened up a bit, she pulled back out of the kiss, rolling out of the bed.

"I'm sorry," Sakura mumbled, looking down at the floor, " you were having a nightmare, you were basically hugging me to death."

Itachi looked up at Sakura, standing there. "I was _hugging _you to death?" he asked skeptically, arching a single eyebrow.

Sakura looked up. Itachi had a single eyebrow arched and a small, almost invisible smirk on his face. "I do not hug people to death," he said. His eyes returned to their deadpan soon afterward, the smirk leaving his face. He stood up, turned to her and told her, "and don't worry about it. We just need to fix this."

Sakura watched as he grabbed a new set of clothes, another cloak, and walked out of the room, probably to take a shower.

_A shower, which reminds me that I probably reek,_ she thought to herself.

**Not **_**too **_**badly.**

_Gee, thanks._

-----++-----

Ino was sitting next to Shikamaru under a tree near where they had been practicing.

"You know, I never thought that she would just up and leave," she told the cloud gazer. His eyes flicked towards her once. "Forehead girl always seemed like the kind who would never give up as long as she had someone to compete against." She looked up at the sky, watching as the slow, creeping clouds bumped up against each other.

Shikamaru looked over at her. She looked sad. Ino and Sakura had never been close, but they had been friends.

"Sakura is ANBU, just like Naruto, and just like me, even though Naruto has to obey Sakura or me," Shikamaru told her, "she can take care of herself."

"Did you know she _ordered_ Naruto to pay his Ichiraku bill?"

Shikamaru could hear the scandalized note in her voice because of the overheard bit of gossip. Inwardly he smiled. Ino would be alright.

_Sakura, don't prove me wrong._

-----++-----

Itachi came out of the shower to find Sakura sitting in a chair, looking out through the window. He needed to drain her chakra soon. He reached over to her and grabbed her hand, startling her to look at him.

He started to pull energy out of her and into him.

Sakura stared as he began to drain her, feeling as weakness began to sink into her. She felt heavier every time he did this. She imagined it must feel similar to being brushed by Samehada.

Sighing, she slumped down a bit as soon as he finished. "Can I take a shower now?" she asked.

Itachi looked up, "Yeah."

Sakura grabbed some clothes from the bottom drawer, where he had stuffed everything they had bought after washing it.

-----++-----

An hour later found Sakura chasing Deidara around the house with the shower curtain rod and Itachi's recently stolen Katana. Itachi just leaned against his door and watched as they passed back and forth, back and forth.

Finally, Sakura had Deidara pressed up against Kisame's Door(no one dared enter) with the curtain rod choking him and the katana threatening to cut off something a little more…ahem…delicate. "Give me the camera," she hissed.

Deidara smirked, then handed her the camera, he already had a few pictures on his scope, anyway. As Sakura walked off, he asked, "Do you want your underwear back, too?"

When Sakura turned around, raising the katana, he was already running towards his door, turning into his room, and locking/sealing his door.

Sakura trudged back to Itachi's room, handing him the katana and crushing the camera, then remembered the rod. She put it back up in the bathroom before going to Itachi's room and plopping down.

Raising an eyebrow, Itachi checked over her chakra status. He could see she was even more drained than was safe.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He was worried because a dead hostage was useless, he hoped. Damn it, he should _not_ be doubting himself. Sakura looked up at him confusedly, showing that she was _not_ okay. Itachi reached out with his hand, putting it on her shoulder, and began to push chakra into her system.

Sakura looked up at him. It wasn't much chakra, but it was enough. "Thank you."

Itachi looked into Sakura's eyes, leaned forward and poked her forehead, the same way he used to discipline Sasuke, though he didn't hit her as hard.

"We need to fix things, _now, _before leader gets here," he told her.

Sakura looked at him. _Pein's coming?_

-----++-----

Sasuke stared out of the barred cage he had been put in. Was he becoming stronger? Yes. Was it in a way he preferred? No. Was it even the way it was described? No. Was he Orochimaru's apprentice? Maybe…in a way. "Am I going to stay here much longer?" he asked himself. _No. Orochimaru will die, and Itachi will follow soon after. Manda likes me better anyway._

He stood up, unarmed and wearing only a pair of shorts.

-----++-----

Ino was freaking out. Shika had taken her out to dinner at a really nice restaurant, and then popped the question! They'd been going out for a while now, but she didn't think he would ask. Along with her happiness, there was a lot of sadness. She should be calling Sakura, gloating, and then agreeing to make her the Maid of Honor. They'd make plans, go shopping, do all of that. But Sakura wasn't here. She had left… A single tear rolled down Ino's cheek. _Sakura, where are you?_

**REVIEW!! You make me feel happy, and I write faster. BTW I AM SICK! It sucks.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8: Solutions…or not?

Itachi and Sakura were sitting on opposite ends of the bed, Sakura with her back against the headboard, Itachi sitting so near the foot she thought a few times that he was going to fall off, even with years of experience as a ninja and a natural knack for balance. Neither had said a word for the past five minutes. Itachi had just seemed to have been observing her.

He looked up at her. "Do you want to even have anything to do with me?" he asked.

Sakura looked up from her lap, watching him for a little while, noticing the emotionless mask in place. He was in interrogation mode. Did she want anything to do with him? Yes. She couldn't help herself, it seemed. She always lusted after the Uchihas, Unemotional, inaccessible, attractive, and _different_ as they were. They didn't care what people ever said about them, a characteristic she wished she could have. Naruto may pretend he didn't care, but he did. Not to mention he was like an older brother. So yes, she did want to have some sort of relationship with him. Did she want him as more than a friend? That didn't even take a second's thought. Yes.

She noticed she'd been silent for a while, and his finger had started twitching. So, finally, she answered. "Yes."

Itachi was a little relieved. He didn't let people in often. He probably would have been a bit hurt if she had replied in the negative. _Hurt? _He thought to himself. _I haven't even allowed myself to think that word in this context in years. Good God, what happened?_

Sakura looked as Itachi got lost. "What about you?"

Itachi looked into her eyes, feeling as if a part of him was just leaving. "I wouldn't have even bothered asking if I didn't. Nothing would have happened. Ever."

Sakura stared at the emotionless eyes in front of her. He could be lying. She didn't care.

Itachi stared right back, keeping the gut clenching feeling he was experiencing from reaching his face. _Now for the hard but necessary part…_he thought. "Will you join the Akatsuki?" He asked her.

Sakura looked up at him. She supposed she would join the Akatsuki. It wasn't as if she could even be friends with Itachi and not be. "I suppose," she told him.

"Good," Itachi muttered, his eyes looking up from her to the wall.

"Why?" Sakura asked, a little curious.

"Because you'd be ordered dead, and if you weren't I would not be able to contact you in any way. No one from Akatsuki would be able to have anything to do with you," Itachi told her.

"When will Pein be here?" Sakura asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Tomorrow," Itachi stated. He could feel a bit of worry for his new found…whatever this was. If Pein decided that Sakura was not satisfactory, he would never see her again. Not alive, at least. What if…_stop thinking in "what ifs,"_ he thought to himself. _There are infinite what ifs, too many what now's, and only a few true happenings._

Sakura looked down at her lap and shook her head..."shit."

Itachi snapped his attention to Sakura. What was wrong now?

"Ummm…Itachi, we might have a small problem…" Sakura mumbled, Itachi was barely able to hear her.

"What?" Itachi asked.

"Does anyone here have things for…ahem…feminine problems?" Sakura asked, looking off to one side and blushing almost to where her cheeks matched her hair.

"We're all men, Sakura," Itachi told her, trying not to laugh.

"No shit, Sherlock, but you have to have had girls around at some point!"

"No," Itachi said.

"So are Deidara and Kisame straight?" Sakura asked.

"Deidara's not," Itachi stated simply. "He goes both ways."

"Well, I need some 'girl stuff'!" Sakura told him.

"Why didn't you plan ahead and buy some?" Itachi asked her.

"Because I thought someone must have had a woman around here at some time. _Obviously_, all of you are either homosexual or in a forced form of celibacy!"

54321~~~~12345

Ino stared out the window of the restaurant. Shikamaru had taken her aside after training and told her to meet him here. Of course, the cloud gazer was late, as usual. Even to his own birthday party, wish his mother had spent days on, he had been late. It was impossible for Shikamaru to be on time. She should be grateful he wasn't Kakashi-sensei, though.

He never, ever showed up for anything until it was basically over. That is, unless there was something in it for him. A good fight, or perhaps enough of an injury to stay out of the hospital, but be able to get out of tedious duties as well.

Ino sighed yet again as she focused again on the milling crowd, looking for a pineapple shaped hair style. She never saw it.

There was a soft cough behind her. She turned to find Shika, his hair down, the layered ends, results of how he had pulled his hair for the past fifteen years, were barely below his shoulder blades. Usually, he looked childish with such a hair style. Wearing nice clothes, no piercings, and with his hair down, even his lazy look looked…well, sexy. At least to her.

"Hello, Ino," he mumbled.

"Hi, Shika."

54321~~~~12345

Naruto was hanging from the bottom of the fourth Hokage's nose, looking through the window at Tsunade's office. He was tempted to unmask his chakra, jump in, and yell, "HI OBAA-SAN!" at the top of his lungs, but there were ANBU in there, and he didn't want to make something that is already bad be worse. Oh, well. He'd just find Hinata. That was better than scaring Granny any day.

They could go out on another date, too.

54321~~~~12345

Sakura was staring at the door, too afraid to actually open it. There was another hard knock, this time just a bit more forceful. There was no way she was going to let that person into the bathroom, unless he had what she needed.

"Sakura! My shampoo is in there!" Deidara screamed.

"Well, I'm not coming out unless you have the stuff I needed an hour ago!"Sakura yelled back.

"Sakura," Itachi called her from the other side of the door. "I have the stuff. You owe me. That was embarrassing. The woman behind the counter looked at me and asked if I was sure that was the kind my wife preferred."

Sakura opened the door minutely, peering out at Itachi's face. "Thank you so much," she told him, darting her hand out and grabbing the bag, which also had a new pair of underwear and a pair of black shorts.

As soon as she was changed, had cleaned up her old clothes, and put them in the wash, she walked down to her shared room with Itachi. He was sitting up against the headboard. She crawled up in the bed and hugged him.

"Thank you," she whispered, knowing he would hear her.

Itachi glanced downward, a half smile on his face.

"You still owe me," Itachi mumbled.

"How badly," Sakura asked him.

"You have to let me try out a forbidden jutsu on you," he told her. "Don't worry, it doesn't hurt and it doesn't do any real harm. It…just makes it so you can't lie."

Sakura stared at him. "That bad?" She asked.

"The woman thought that I was getting stuff for my wife, brought attention to me, then gave me advice."

Sakura sighed.

"Fine."

Itachi did a few handseals, pulling Sakura so she was straddling him, arranging it so that she was looking him straight in the eyes.

"What is your name?" Itachi asked.

Sakura would have laughed. He could ask her anything and this was his question? Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. "Haruno Sakura," she told him.

Itachi smirked. "Do you love Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sakura answered without thinking. "Not in the way I believe you are implying."

"In what way do you love Uchiha Sasuke?"

"I love him as I do any of my friends. I hold him dear, but not as dear as I would have held him if he were my 'true love.'" Sakura told him. "That possibility died long ago."

She looked at him. What could he possibly be getting out of this?

Itachi looked her in the eyes.

"Are you in love with someone?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Are you falling in love with someone?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

Sakura could now see the point. He was sneaky.

"Does it really matter?"

Even her subconscious was trying to maneuver out of this one.

"Yes," he answered her.

"To who?"

Itachi looked at her. The truth would be coming straight from a place she may not even know anything about. Things she could deny, this piece could not.

"Me."

"I think I'm falling for you, Itachi."


	10. Chapter 10

Itachi smirked slightly, then reached out a hand toward Sakura, releasing the jutsu as he did. His fingertips barely brushed her cheek and she looked up at him. He could see the question in her eyes. Why did he do that? Was it necessary? Did he have to? Why, Why, _Why, __**Why,**__** Why, WHY?!**_

He knew that she had oh so many questions all "why" for him. He knew he should have let her know. But really, how was he to tell her. _I had to make sure you were real, to make sure that we'd make it._ How would she react? He already that he was falling hard for the pink haired girl sitting in front of him, pretty soon he would be too far gone to turn back, ever. Not that he would want to. This was the first time he had experienced such a feeling. It was exhilarating.

He stared Sakura in the eyes. God, she had turned him into a romantic. Silently, Itachi hoped to hell that he was still ruthless in a battle. He'd have to test himself against Deidara. Maybe expose himself for just a few hours in Konoha, just making sure not to kill anyone she might love, as it would not bode well. He could see it. _"Sakura, I killed your friends. Can you overlook that and still make out with me and maybe still love me?"_

He imagined that was something the Kyuubi would say to her. He didn't want to be compared to a knucklehead.

"Itachi," Sakura mumbled. _Is he going to say anything? He just keeps sitting there…_

"Hm?"

"Why?" she asked. All those questions in one single word, one amazing word that could possibly make him spill his guts, as long as he was sure she would never tell.

"I had to know," he said. "I won't risk it for the Akatsuki or for me without knowing."

Sakura could understand that. "Can I try it?" she asked, looking up at him with a smile.

Itachi pondered for a few moments. "I suppose…"

Itachi spent the next fifteen minutes teaching her the hand seals, showing her the name of the jutsu, telling her how to direct her chakra, and helping her direct her emotions in such a way that it would help the overall technique.

12345~~~~54321

"So what are your plans so far for the wedding?" Shikamaru asked from the other side of the table.

"I don't know," Ino said. The dress was supposed to be picked out by Sakura and herself. They had never seemed close, but they really were each other's only real friend. Well, real girl friend anyway. Before they had become rivals, they had this idea of having a fairy tale wedding, where they would both get married in the same ceremony. "I need Sakura."

Shikamaru looked up at her, sighing. "I know, love, I know."

12345~~~~54321

Itachi sat with Sakura on his lap, watching as she did the handseals he himself had done only twenty minutes before. As she announced quietly the jutu's name, he felt it take hold. It was subtle, only perceptible because he was looking for it. A good spying technique.

"What is your name?" Sakura asked.

"Uchiha Itachi," Itachi told her, not even noticing he was saying it until it had been said.

"What is your favorite color?" Sakura asked.

"Until recently, black. Now, it's a tie between pink and green."

Itachi's eyes widened a little.

Sakura smirked.

"Are you in love with someone?" she asked.

What Itachi said next surprised them both.

12345~~~~54321

Naruto and Hinata were sitting on a bridge, a picnic in between them, just talking. Naruto leaned in, kissing her on the lips. Pretty soon, they were separated by Hinata's self appointed chaperone, her cousin, Daisuke.

Naruto sighed, leaned back, and glared at the twelve year old.

12345~~~~54321

"Yes."

The word filled the room. Sakura looked up at him. Itachi looked startled, perhaps even more than she was. Well, that was what the jutsu was for. To make it so that you could not hide anything from yourself, not even in your subconscious mind. Obviously it worked.

Sakura took a deep breath. Her next question could shatter them apart faster than anything else in the world.

"Who are you in love with?" she asked, keeping her eyes downcast, ready to release the spell and run the other direction should he cause her heart to break. She would run, instead of watching his back as she had his brother's.

"Sakura, isn't it obvious?" Itachi asked, wishing for her to understand without him having to say it.

If he had to say it, he would not be able to deny it.

He reached for her, pulled her to his chest, kissed her soundly, then whispered in her ear. "I think I love you, Haruno Sakura."

Sakura stared at him. She kissed him lightly on the cheek, then up to his temple, and back down. She kissed him on the lips, slipping her tongue through easily into his welcoming mouth. Rolling so she was underneath him, she couldn't care less what they did. There was no risk in falling for this man. He had already fallen, and she was so close to the edge that even these kisses were threatening to throw her completely over, into the beautiful, red, black, and white landscape that was Uchiha Itachi.

After the heavy make out session, they just stared at each other.

Their ordeal was far from over, having just begun, and they didn't even know if they would be allowed to continue. They would have gone much farther than just making out if it hadn't been for one minor detail.

Sakura was on it, and while some might think that was "hot," Itachi thought it was disgusting. Sakura didn't want to have to even think about how much more than the usual mess that would have left.

Sakura sighed, reaching out with her left hand and running her fingers through his hair. She had once read that black hair, because of the extra amount of pigment it contained, was coarse. Itachi's felt softer than any hair she had felt in her life. And it was so long! It looked even longer down than it did pulled back.

"Why do you keep your hair so long?" she asked him.

Itachi was leaning into her touch, his eyes closed lazily. One eye slid open by a hair, then slid closed again. "I just have never cut it," he said. "My mother said she liked my hair long…"

Sakura felt the well-cared for hair slide over her fingers. "It's beautiful," she muttered. "Guys always have pretty hair. Well, at least all the guys I know except for a few. Sasuke's is always rough from the gel, but Neji's is soft, and it's such a weird color. Naruto's sticks up naturally, but it's really, really soft. Yours is prettiest though."

Itachi arched a single eyebrow, not even opening his eyes. "Pretty?" he asked. "Your hair is so unusual."

"In other words: my hair is weird."

"No, not weird. Unusual, beautiful, I like the fact that it's pink."

Sakura stared at him. "You're awful talkative today."

"Weren't you hassling me about not talking enough?" he asked her. "I would love to just sit here and fall asleep, but then you would complain even more than before."

Sakura's hand snapped out of his hair and playfully pushed him back; causing Itachi to open his eyes as he nearly fell off. He had rolled them nearly to the edge.

Itachi glared at a laughing Sakura. "I didn't say you should stop," he said.

Sakura grinned at him, reaching out and petting his hair again. She never got why some people found it so relaxing. Itachi was soon asleep, as Sakura didn't bug him again. After ten minutes of petting him and staring, Sakura fell asleep.

12345~~~~54321

Naruto was counting his lucky stars. The boy had fallen asleep in the movie that he had taken Hinata to see. He looked over to her and smirked, making a motion for her to be quiet. Stealthily, he pulled a wide-eyed Hinata out of the theatre and to the Park down the street.

They walked the entire park, just hand in hand, and then, after a sweet kiss, Naruto dropped her off at home. Daisuke was waiting for them outside the compound, glaring with steam coming out of his ears. Naruto smirked, turned on his heel, and roof hopped home.

12345~~~~54321

Sasuke had at first been startled by the pain. He didn't know where it had originated from until he looked down. It had seemed all encompassing. Then he looked down, and he realized that Karin had stabbed him in desperation as he left her. Why couldn't she be more like Sakura? He asked himself that all the time.

Sakura had an inner strength, and he knew it. She could accept things, and she would leave and do her own thing if she didn't think things would work. She was…almost mature. Karin was like a three year old. Suddenly, he wished he would have stayed in Konoha. At least there people actually cared.

12345~~~~54321

The next morning was surprisingly eventful for those living in the Village Hidden in The Stones Akatsuki base. For one thing, they got to witness how Sakura reacted to Kisame trying to drain her chakra using his samehada, which resulted in Kisame knocked out on the floor, devoid of chakra, as Sakura had used quick thinking to reverse the effects.

Surprisingly, when she tried it, it worked. When Deidara tried it, he got blasted through a wall and nearly died.

Thank God Sakura had had extra chakra.

Then, as if he knew nobody was going to be conscious except for Sakura and Itachi, their beloved lord and leader, Pein, came bursting in, demanding to know all about their newest potential member. He came face to face with her as soon as he walked through the door.

He took one good look at how Sakura and Itachi were cuddled, saw that Itachi's hair was down, Sharingan off, and that the bags under his eyes were gone, then went outside to check the address. He came back inside to find Sakura sitting to one side of Itachi, glaring, and Itachi pulling back his hair, the Sharingan blazing threateningly at Pein from under dark, almost foreboding bangs.

"What do you think you were doing, Itachi?" Pein asked.

"I don't quite grasp your meaning," Itachi replied.

"You are a stickler to the rules, as you know that I will enforce them, yet you had your tongue down a non-member's throat, when you know that is forbidden."

Itachi shrugged. "I thought you wanted to make her a member."

"I do," Pein replied, "but I originally planned on pairing her with Deidara, as the idiot lost his partner."

Sakura looked up at Pein. "I would kill him," she told him, not angry, just a tad annoyed. As if stating some fact that should have been obvious since the beginning.

Pein looked at her. "The second choice was Kisame, you both specialize in using specific types of chakra."

"Fishy-head wouldn't stand a chance. He'd try using that damn sword again. I think it likes me better than it likes him, though."

Pein did not like speaking, as a rule. "Where are Deidara and Kisame?" he asked Itachi.

"They made Sakura angry this morning and are sleeping off the after effects," Itachi stated.

Pein glared at them both, then turned on his heel and stormed up the stairs, going to the room that was always reserved for the leader. The box in there should be filled with their reports, especially reports of the girl he had ordered them to monitor. Hopefully, they would not disappoint him in this one.

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Neji had never been one for words, but as he stared up the steps at the more fair of the members on his rookie, and ANBU teams, he couldn't help but let the only word he found would truly take in everything that made up TenTen.

"Stunning," he mumbled.

And she was, in every sense of the word. Stunning in the way that she made such graceful movements with muscles toned for the kill. Stunning with those brown eyes, he so wished to walk up to her and just stare into them. He had always wanted normal eyes, he had even joked to her that at least that way, they would be able to tell when he was looking them in the eyes.

Tenten looked down at him as she came down from her apartment, her hair, which was nearly as long as his when down, was silky and shiny. He wondered why she ever put it up, then remembered that even he sometimes had trouble keeping his hair out of the way in a fight.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked down at his girlfriend of going on three years, and told her the sentence he felt was the most true out of any he had ever said.

"I love you."

Fortunately, the words were returned to him, though in a softer, prettier voice.

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Tsunade looked out the window at the three couples she saw before her, watching as the children she had once sent on the lowliest missions paired up before her very eyes, and a tear rolled down her face.

She couldn't help but mourn for the one person she did not find out in any of those crowds. Sakura had no idea what she had been to Tsunade. Silently, Tsunade hoped she was well, happy, and that someday, somehow, she would see her again. Hopefully, it wouldn't be from opposite sides of a battle-field.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you to EVERYONE who has reviewed. I hardly ever get reviews on stories in progress. I got nearly all of the seventy-odd reviews on Sasuke's true love after the thing was finished, and it was all on the first few chapters! I didn't mind. It just seemed…odd. It's awesome that you guys review now! I LOVE YOU GUYS(and GIRLS).**

**This is my disclaimer to all chapters I have(and will) forget to put one on. Sing it to "London Bridge" the children's song**

**I don't own crud, own junk, own duck, all this stuff isn't mine, SO PLEASE DON'T SUE ^_^**

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Pein had been staring at the papers in front of him for what seemed like days. Itachi had told him that Sakura had been trained by one of the most revered Kunoichis of all time, both as a healer, and as a fighter. He had been informed that she had a connection with the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. A hawk had informed him that she could heal damn near anything, as long as the being was alive, and that she specialized in learning and remembering things quickly as well as in chakra control and techniques. But her score card surprised him. She was on BINGO books everywhere, especially know that she had disappeared.

How the hell had she flown in under the scope?

He re-read the files for the seventh time in the past hour.

The friendship with one Uzumaki Naruto would have been very bad, if it hadn't been for the fact that they no longer cared for capturing and killing Jinchuuriki, just in knowledge and forbidden, forgotten techniques. They were even thinking of making a few alliances with major villages. At least then they would be on the run less often, though certain members would have trouble staying in their home villages

This girl could help with one such alliance. She was friends with the Kazekage and was basically a daughter to the Hokage from what he had heard.

Pein stood up to initiate her when he glanced at the clock. He really had spent quite a lot of time at that desk. Instead of going to speak with Sakura, he turned and went to sleep. He would tell her tomorrow, then assign her a room. He wondered, silently, whom she had been bunking with.

It was very well that Pein did _not_ go to see Sakura, or else he would have witness another thing that broke the rules. Or rather, it would have been what he _didn't _see that broke the rules.

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Sakura and Itachi were in the movie theatre that Stone sported, Sakura sitting on Itachi's lap as they watched the action movie. Itachi had been stunned when Sakura had chosen this movie. Usually, girls went for romances. He was happy that she hadn't put him through that particular torture.

Itachi hoped that Pein had gone to bed. He knew that Deidara and Kisame would be out of commission for a while, but Pein was a toss-up. He couldn't have very well walked into the office and said, "Hey, I'm taking my new girlfriend on a date, even though we're not allowed to leave." Nope. Not going to happen.

He glared at the woman next to him as her eyes widened at the scene on the screen. At least his attitude only changed when regarding Sakura, he thanked whatever God there was in the world for that.

It would have been embarrassing for him if he had lost his cool disposition, especially when talking to Pein, Deidara, or Kisame…more Deidara than anyone else. That guy was a slut, even after he got married. Itachi didn't know how his wife handled it, to tell the truth.

Sakura leaned back against him, pressing her lips to his ear, which made Itachi shudder. He could feel her smirk, then felt the tickling of her lips as she asked him, "What do you think was funnier, his head being blown off, or the fact that his enemy cried while he was doing the handseals for the explosives?"

Itachi resisted the urge to laugh. Sakura could sit through a movie that made full grown men throw up, and laugh. How could he find anyone better than Sakura for him?

"Hmm…I'd have to say the enemy crying," Itachi whispered in her ear.

Sakura giggled, then leaned forward and paid attention to the movie.

They snuck back into the "base" as soon as the movie was over, making sure not to make any noise that might tip off Pein. As soon as they got right outside their bedroom door, Kisame opened his, poking his head out to find the source of the noise he had heard. His eyes met nothing. He closed the door and passed out right there on the floor. He had just used up his chakra reserves trying to get up and go to the bathroom.

Sakura sighed as Itachi released his tight wrap around her body, feeling the chill of the Chakra he had worked into both of their systems left when he dropped the genjutsu. He glared at the door Kisame had disappeared behind.

"Fishy-head is out," Sakura mumbled. "Should we put him in bed?"

Itachi nodded, then walked over to Kisame's door, pushing roughly so that Kisame was jostled out of the way. He picked up the shark, walked to the bed, and tossed the man down. Sakura sighed when Itachi walked past her, matching the angry look on his face. Anger… she hated how that emotion contorted his face. It didn't look as beautiful as she knew he truly was.

Back in his room, Itachi was putting on his "pajamas." Well, really, he was stripping down into his underwear.

He looked back at Sakura in the doorway. She giggled when she saw him look a bit guilty, an act, of course, but still funny. "What? Even in his sleep, Kisame's nosy!"

Sakura finally managed to stop smiling, and then jumped onto "her side" of the bed, laughing. Itachi sank onto the bed. He rolled over to face her. "Go to bed."

"I am in bed," Sakura told him back.

"Go to sleep, then."

"Hmmmmm…..No!" Sakura told him, leaning forward and kissing him. Itachi leaned backward.

"It's my bed, I will shove you off," he said, glaring a bit.

"Itachi! I'm appalled, you would make a woman sleep on the floor?" Sakura sounded almost indignant. He would have believed it if it weren't for the smile on her face.

Looking over at the clock behind her, he told her, "At midnight, anyone who is in my bed keeping me awake, _will_ get shoved off. It's hard enough to get sleep without talkers."

Sakura smiled at him, then rolled onto her other side, curling under the covers, and falling asleep.

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Shikamaru owed Ino a big apology. Of course, leave it to the only true genius in Konoha to talk in his sleep. Leave it to him to apply "troublesome" to "women," "weddings," and "Ino."

She had said that all the other words in his sentences had been slurred beyond recognition. SNAFU, had been her exact term.

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Itachi and Sakura were woken up by a "WHAT THE FUCK!" Scream at the foot of their bed. Sakura, groaning, tried to get up, but was held by what seemed to be iron bars surrounding her, so settled with raising her head to look at the intruder, then gasped. Tiredly, Itachi raised his head from where he had nuzzled her neck in his sleep, then glared. "Deidara, you know the five second rule?" he asked.

Deidara nodded, his jaw still hanging.

"You've got one left," Itachi mumbled, using the same amuzed, "scary," voice he used when pinning his otoutou with a glare and lies.

Deidara quickly ran from the room, bumping into leader on the way out and leaving the buckets of Ice he had planned on dumping on them on the floor. He hadn't expected the cold, uncaring Uchiha to be spooning the newest member.

Pein just stared at the man, then walked into the room, taking in the sight of the two people on the bed who had returned to sleep as soon as the door had closed. He didn't blame them. It was four in the morning, and the jutsus he had setup to monitor everyone in the base had told him that the two had come in from somewhere at around midnight, almost one o'clock in the morning. He spared a glance at the buckets of ice on the floor. He wasn't Deidara, he wouldn't wake them up. He reached out to grab a handle. It would be nice to catch the always ready Uchiha off guard. The boy was always prepared, and it annoyed him that Itachi had been the only one to avoid the initiation "ceremony," including Pein himself.

The poor guy never knew what hit him. Pein was only interested in finally getting one in on Itachi, that he failed to see the Uchiha move, so swiftly and silently, and the wires attached to the metal handle. When he touched the bucket, Pein got the shock of his life, and blew into the wall behind him. Itachi, making sure Sakura had slept through it, pulled the pirated plug out of its socket, taking off the wires he had combined with it, and putting it back together with the lamp on the bedside table.

He always had loved the pranks he had learned to deal with Orochimaru.

Moving Sakura so that a pillow was supporting her instead of him, he got up and pulled Pein out of the room, picking up the notebook that had been lying next to the man and putting it on the dresser, then closed the door. Pein was either in another body by now, or his quick immune system was repairing the damage. It wasn't Itachi's problem.

He spent another four hours curled around Sakura, asleep, before he woke them both up, and told her to go wash up. He wanted to look through the files on his dresser.

When he heard the water a few rooms down turn on, he began to look through the files Pein had dropped when he had been given a…ahem…"wakeup call." Someone must have moved Pein's form, or Sakura would have screamed.

He began skimming. Sakura was going to officially be a member, yada yada, they wanted him to teach her how to use a sword better, she needed blah blah, he was going to be her partner, because of whatever that word at the end of the sentence meant, her ring symbol was going to be…

Hold the phone.

They could change them after the first ten had been created? When had that happened? Oh well.

But what is with that name.

**A/N: Okay guys, I've been stingy on this update for a reason. What should Sakura's name be?**

**Fury?  
Beloved?  
Peace?  
Or something else? **

**If It's "Something else" see if someone else has reviewed one that you like.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: : Thank you to:**

**Lady Massacre, MarzSpy(x2), Shadowkissed-hime, Bookbaby, XxCryingAngel67, Hikuza Mayumi.**

**You guys ROCK my socks! Which brings up my randomness: I just stubbed my toes cuz my dad keeps moving the armchair back, and I was walking around in the middle of the night. I think I broke the one that's like a ring finger on my right foot. Idk. It's red, swollen, I broke the nail basically off, and when I move it, it feels like someone's stabbing it…**

**I need an Ice Pack…-_-'**

**Well, on to my CHAPPIE!**

_**Chapter 11: What's with a Name?**_

Itachi stared at the page in front of him. Peace? _Peace?_ Honestly. Where did Pein come up with that one? Did Kisame leave the liquor cabinet open last night? He was tempted to go ask the Leader what that meant at that moment, maybe give him the blank glare that always set him off, and would make the leader tell him everything. Not to mention all the stuff Itachi had on him. The guy wasn't impervious to black mail. He stood up, about to leave…

And then Sakura walked into the room, and he just sat down. Eh, Pein could wait. Maybe till tomorrow. They were just here so that Deidara could keep a lookout on what Stone's government was up to, now. Kisame and Itachi staying to act as back-up if the idiot blew something important again.

He handed the file to her, turned his back, and looked out their bedroom window, feeling Sakura's suspicious eyes on his back. He heard her rustle the papers, and turned to find her actually reading them, not lazily skimming them like he had. Maybe it was from years of having to read report after report when she was helping out the Godaime.

As soon as Sakura reached the last page, with the ring taped to it, she looked up at him, a smile on her face.

"Itachi?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"Do you know what this means?"

Itachi sent her a questioning gaze.

Sakura smirked, she wanted to see his reaction.

"I get my own room!" Sakura yelled. "One I can paint so it's not…plain!"

Itachi looked around his room. Taking in the mostly lack of color, except the red comforter and black sheets. He liked things simple. He didn't care if his favorite colors looked evil, they were his favorite colors.

Then he finally caught on. He wouldn't be seeing her as often. He sighed. Well at least now he could take her on a proper date, going over to her door to ask her out, not sleeping in the same bed with her…unless he had a "reason."

Sakura caught his sigh, then saw his lips curve eventually upward. _What could he be planning?_

**I hope it's something fun!** Her inner popped in for her.

_Ugh, you again._

**In the flesh.**

_..._

**Well, in the thought.**

"You have to speak to leader," Itachi told Sakura, pulling her out of her digression, then remembered the "incident." "Tomorrow," he amended.

Sakura looked up at him. "Why tomorrow?" She asked.

"Never mind," Itachi muttered.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Is everyone still alive?"

Itachi looked over at her, smiling. "Yes. Technically. Pein can't die. He has…quite a few bodies that he can use."

Sakura looked over at him. "Ew."

Itachi chuckled.

"Well…as long as everyone's alive, I don't care what happened," Sakura told him.

Itachi rolled his eyes.

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Shikamaru had been sitting outside his and Ino's apartment door for the past hour.

"I love you," he called through the door. It was what his dad had suggested: "KISS UP!"

"Go away, Shika!" Ino called through the door. He could tell she had been crying. Her voice cracked on his name. He sighed.

"I'm sorry. I've always talked in my sleep! I used to complain about you all the time. What's really wrong, love?" he asked.

Ino opened the door enough for half of her face to show, keeping the chain attached. "I need Sakura here!" she told him.

Shikamaru sighed, looking at her, tempted to mutter the troublesome word again. "A lot of people need Sakura back, love. Not just you. Take a look at Tsunade the next time you see her. Her illusion's down, for the first time in thirty years. Look at Naruto and Hinata. They both look happy, but they go visit her house almost every day. I think she did what she felt was best, but that doesn't mean that what she did is ever going to help anyone."

Ino glared at him. Shikamaru noticed she was keeping herself together proudly. "Why don't we put off the wedding. Maybe... maybe we can see if we can get a hold of Sakura."

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Itachi gently pulled out from under the girl sprawled on top of him. It had been laundry day, and while they had waited, she had fallen asleep, giving him the perfect opportunity to go see the leader.

He knocked on the door as soon as he reached it, waiting for Pein to let him in. As soon as the order came, he opened the door. The Pein with longer hair looked up from the body on the table in front of him. "I hate you right now, Uchiha," he growled.

Itachi looked down at the body, chuckling. _I was expecting Kisame to be the idiot that tried it._

Pein began to repair the body again. "You're lucky the body's still functional, or else I would have sent you out to find a replacement, or used your corpse."

Itachi felt like rolling his eyes, but that just wouldn't be him.

"I assume you're here about your girlfriend's new name?" Pein asked.

Itachi nodded.

Pein sighed, moving his other form off to one side. "You know, usually, I would have arrived to find the prospect dead, the house torn to shreds, and Deidara's arms gone. You would be brooding in your room, Kisame would be on a killing spree in a neighboring village, and some sort of barrier would be on your door to prevent Deidara from coming in."

Itachi nodded. At least he hadn't mentioned the fact that Midori, Deidara's pregnant wife, would be throwing a hissy fit. Or maybe, if Kisame had brought his five year old son, that there would be finger paint on the walls. It had happened.

"Well, I come here, everyone's alive, no one's dead…yet, Deidara's in a joking mood, when he's awake, and you keep cuddling with Sakura whenever you think no one's around to see," Pein continued. "She must have some 'peaceful' effect on all of you. At least, she keeps you from killing or maiming each other."

Itachi nodded.

"And this is the longest I ever have, and ever will talk to you. Now go away, Uchiha!"

Itachi felt like rolling his eyes again. "Sakura wants to know if she gets her own room, and what she can do to it," he told Pein.

Pein looked up. "She can have the room to the right of yours. If I remember right, Deidara's is on your left and Kisame's is across from you. Tell her to do whatever the hell she wants to do to it. Now go away! This takes concentration."

Itachi turned around and walked down to the laundry room, popping open his cloak a bit to let in some air. It was great for walking around in blizzards, or going through windy, sandy places, but it was a royal pain in the ass to wear in the house.

What was even more of a pain in the ass was a horny Deidara, he decided, as he walked into the laundry room and found said male with a pair of Sakura's underwear. He reached out, grabbed the underwear, putting it back in the folded pile, and threw Deidara out of the room.

He carried Sakura to his room, balancing her in one arm and the basket on his hip. Setting her on the bed, he put the basket down next to the dresser and tucked her in. Looking at the clock, he noticed it was only eight thirty. Usually, the girl stayed up late. He would fall asleep, and she would just play with his hair, or curl up on the other side of the bed and wait until she fell asleep herself.

He put up all of their clothes. She would have to move her own stuff to the room down the hall. She had to "redo" it anyways.

He took off the cloak, throwing it to the chair next to the window, then stripped to his boxers and slipped into the bed beside her. He glanced at the cloak. That was another thing that he needed to get her. He yawned, turning on his side to hug Sakura. Tomorrow.

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Sasuke had left behind Hawk, moving toward the Village Hidden in the Stones. They had just made a deal with the Akatsuki a few days earlier. When he asked where Itachi was, they hadn't hesitated to tell him. Pein was there, with Deidara, Kisame, Itachi, and a new recruit.

He was going to kill Itachi. Here and now. There was nothing, no one, who could get in his way. Not now, not ever.

He came in through the front door, using the ring they had given him, as the only true member. He went upstairs, looking for the tell-tale chakra signature of his brother. He found a barrier on the door of a room on the third floor, but couldn't feel past it.

He knocked three times, expecting his ever ready brother to open the door.

But he didn't.

Green eyes looked back at Sasuke, tired. "What do you…"

"S-Sakura," Sasuke mumbled. _What?_

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**A/N: Hmmmm…….I show you another daydream in….TWO DAYS!!!(hopefully)**

**I think I'll make Sasuke's name BAKA!!(j/k)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Well…I GOT OVER 20 REVIEWS!(Yes, I am a dweeb, but that's amazing for one of my stories.) I love reviews, and the people who send them. They are gifts…I give every reviewer a magical, imaginary cookie for their kindness. THIS COOKIE GRANTS YOU ONE EXTRA...HUG!! YEAH A HUG FOR IF I EVER MEET YOU IN PERSON!!! YAY ^_^**

Chapter 12: Memories

Sasuke stared at the girl before him. He could see Itachi curled up around a pillow on the bed. She had _Itachi_ so comfortable that he could sleep that deeply? Itachi had always been on high alert, even when he had been little. It was one of the things that made him such a great shinobi. Somehow, he trusted Sakura to wake him, or to be able to take care of things on her own. He looked down at her, tracing her entire form. She was wearing a t-shirt and underwear.

There was a ring, too. A ring no member could take off unless they were bathing, or had lost their designated finger. It was on her left thumb. Bright Pink, with the insignia for Peace. He looked at his own ring. _Predator. _They give him a name that means danger, give her one that means safe keeping. The Akatsuki's true goal had been embodied somehow in the girl in front of him.

"Sakura?" a voice came from the bed. Itachi looked up, took one look at Sasuke, then gave him a glare. He walked over to the doorway, leaned down to Sakura, and brought his lips to kiss her cheek. "Will you go to bed?" he asked. "I'll be back within ten minutes, love."

Sakura nodded, proceeding to go to bed.

Sasuke looked at his older brother, seeing the older man's eyes follow her until she curled up around the pillow Itachi had been using moments before. As soon as Itachi could feel her chakra dim, and hear her breathing slow, he walked out the door, now clad in a pair of pants he had found on the dresser. He didn't even spare his younger brother a second glance as he walked down the stairs and out into their back yard.

When Sasuke came out of the back door, his brother had one hip placed on a training dummy.

Sasuke was ready to kill him. He would be his brother's replacement. Itachi looked at him.

"You have the hatred," Itachi muttered. "But do you have the will?"

Sasuke couldn't hear him.

In a louder voice, Itachi called out to Sasuke, "Are you here to kill me?"

Sasuke glared at his brother, and nodded.

"Can it wait?" Itachi asked.

"No."

Then Sasuke struck. The lightning of his blade came through the air and connected with…

The training dummy…

Itachi was in the doorway, looking over at his brother from behind. He had forgotten what it felt like to fight without all the weights. He hadn't expected to move that fast. The look of shock on his ototou's face was payment enough for his own shock. Calmly, he closed the door and placed a seal on it. He would deal with Sasuke tomorrow, when his bed wasn't waiting for him. He quickly placed a seal on the front door as well, and went up to bed.

The next morning, he woke up to someone pounding on his bedroom door. "Oi, Itachi, un!" Deidara yelled through. Ugh, Deidara.

Itachi rolled out of bed, opened the door and glared at Deidara, making a motion for him to be silent. Itachi turned, making sure that Sakura was still asleep. Quickly, he got dressed, leaving the room to go find out whatever it was that Deidara woke him up for.

As soon as he walked into the common room, he found out. "Did you lock out one of the new members last night?" Deidara asked.

"Who are you talking about?" Itachi asked.

"Some kid named Sasuke. He looked about the same age as your girl."

Itachi looked at Deidara. "My little brother made an attempt on my life last night, so, yes, I did lock him out."

Deidara stared at Itachi. "He made an attempt on your life?"

Itachi nodded.

"Well, then, you aren't getting in trouble. Though, maybe the new kid will…" Deidara mumbled himself out of the door, presumably to his own room.

Itachi heard some rustling in the kitchen. _That's odd. We order in. Nobody knows how to cook around here. We just buy groceries when someone feels like it._

Sakura was making breakfast when Itachi walked in. She looked back at him, smiling. "Do you guys have anything other than junk food?" she asked.

Itachi gave her a look.

"Oh, right," Sakura mumbled, looking through the refrigerator, finally finding eggs. She turned around, going through the cabinets, and found a can of whole potatoes. "Being a man and an S-class criminal must be a bad combination."

Itachi chuckled.

Sakura made them fried potatoes mixed with scrambled eggs. They sat down and ate. It was the first home made meal Itachi had eaten since he had been ordered to kill his family. He looked down. It was amazing how much regular training and all the missions he had went on worked.

Sasuke came in when they had just finished cleaning up and Sakura was sitting on Itachi's lap. Itachi just ignored him, telling Sakura: "We need to go get your cloak today."

Sakura looked up at him, sighing. "Sure. But why do we need to get one?"

"You're too small for the ones we have, Sakura. Usually, men are recruited, and men are bigger."

Sakura could feel his laugh through his cloak; she smacked him on the chest. "That's sexism."

Itachi just laughed harder. "That's being practical."

Sakura laughed, just a little. "Well," she said, jumping up, "Let's be off, then."

She only noticed Sasuke on the way out the door. He looked pretty beat up. She'd have to ask Itachi about it later.

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Ino stared out the window, watching as the sky cried, and the pane of glass caught it. It was so…weird! It was raining on a sunny day.

Across town, Tsunade sighed, watching the skies. So much for that jutsu, it didn't do what it was supposed to.

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Sakura was sitting across from Itachi in the restaurant, eating her ramen while Itachi ate some dango. "Itachi?" she asked.

Itachi looked up to tell her he was listening, then went back to watch the two ninjas on the other side of the room, his bangs keeping him from being noticed. His cloak was at home, Sakura's new one in the bag next to her. Luckily, this was the city where the tailor they had employed to make the Akatsuki clothing lived.

"Why is Sasuke looking so…" Sakura didn't know how to finish her sentence.

"Beaten up?" Itachi supplied.

"Yes."

"He made a failed attempt at my life last night, and so, was punished. Had he been successful, it would depend on leader whether the punishment would have been more or less severe."

Sakura stared at him. _Sasuke tried to kill him and he's acting so nonchalant about it?_ She sighed. _Oh, well. That's just Itachi for you. He doesn't seem like the kind that would ever freak out…_

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Naruto was walking down Konoha's main street, humming to himself under his breath. It was a lullaby Sakura had taught him when they had gone to Mist for their first ANBU mission, and he had ended up caring for a baby for a few days, until it was found a suitable home in the Konoha Orphanage. He had felt so out of place. Here, kids were given food for free, had friends, had so many things, but he had grown up in the streets, even though he was in the same, if not worse, place as them. It was just awkward.

He spotted Hinata off to one side of the road, and ran over to her, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her around, happy that she was past the old "Oh, Naruto-kun," and faint routine. He laughed when he put her down and she swayed a bit.

He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

And of course, after the first peck, Daisuke jumped in and pushed them apart.

Naruto sighed, glaring after the boy. Hinata just giggled, reaching out to pet him on a soft spot behind the ears.

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Pein had been stuck for an hour. Somehow during his fixing of the other body, he had melded his hands to the other's flesh. The stomach area, actually.

After he had cut the body open to repair some of the worse burning and cooking of the internal organs, he had stitched up most of it. But there comes a point when regular stitches just don't do the trick, and so he had used a jutsu.

Only he had brought his hands too close, and now he couldn't get out of the room, or call out for help, as there was a seal on the room to soundproof it.

Damn him and his need to keep everything secretive. Hopefully, someone would come in and find him, preferably with the medic, Sakura, in tow.

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Sakura and Itachi came through the front door with bags. In one bag, there was Sakura's cloak, and in all of the others, there was what Sakura called "real food" and what Itachi called "kunoichi food."

Sakura had Itachi help her pack up the food in the fridge and cupboards, then went up to find her room. She looked it over, did a few handseals, and admired her work.

She may not be able to do wood style, but she sure as hell could do rock solid genjutsu. She had to learn it, after all. She was, in fact, Tsunade-sama's apprentice.

She went over to Itachi's room and grabbed all of her clothes, moving them into her own dresser, and her own closet. She looked around, then noticed a door off to one side. Itachi could probably hear her squeal from the kitchen.

She had gotten _her own_ bathroom. No more sharing hair products with Deidara. No more worrying about what she would find. No more toilet seat left up! YES!

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Itachi rolled his eyes. Sakura must have found her room. He wondered what it would look like, but decided against going up there to find out. Hopefully, he'd be able to get some sleep tonight without her familiar presence there.

**A/N…I UPDATED!!! YAY!!!**

**HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE EVE EVERYBODY (the second "eve" is intentional, for those people who are like me and will say, "oohhh!!! Grammar mistake") **


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13: Arguing with Myself

Itachi hadn't been able to sleep. At all.

Not a wink.

Well, he had gotten one hour in, laced with nightmares that hadn't haunted him since Sakura had begun sleeping in his room. So, he left his room at about two o'clock in the morning, went down the hallway, and snuck into Sakura's room. He slipped into the bed next to her, rolled onto his side facing her, and was out like a light in next to no time.

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Sakura had spent the entire time before Itachi came in just staring at her ceiling. She had quickly feigned sleep when he had walked in, and sighed in relief when he fell asleep next to her. Finally.

She was asleep right after him, not even waking up when they arranged themselves so that they were lying overlapping each other.

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Deidara had been assigned wake-up call duties, as usual. He had to wake up Sakura first. He was a bit doubtful about that one. Spending a day knocked out had taught him to stay away.

When he opened the door to her room, his doubts increased ten fold, for there, on the bed, was not one, but two of the least "morning people" in the base. But Leader would kick his butt into the next dimension if he didn't wake them up. It was his duty. They were all due for a debriefing, in any case, and they had to present and semi-conscious.

He sighed, then pulled the covers completely off the bed. Two kunai embedded themselves in the wall near his head, one from Itachi, and one from Sakura. He sighed in relief. Had he been any closer, they both would have been deadly, regardless of whether the two had truly aimed or not. Sakura glared at him, then groaned what sounded like: "Deidara, you idiot," and flopped back down on top of Itachi.

Itachi just looked at him. "Someday, you should try normal modes of waking people up," he muttered, lowly and threateningly. "Next time, I won't miss."

"Debriefing, un" Deidara told him, walking out of the room.

Itachi looked down at the girl on his chest. Gently, he shook her, leaning down and placing a feather light kiss to her forehead. "Wake up, Sakura."

Sakura groaned and grabbed onto his sides.

"Sakura?" he asked. No real response. He sighed. What was it that Kisame said would wake any woman up? Oh, that's right. Well, it was worth a shot.

He pulled Sakura up so her face was level with his own and sealed his lips to hers, gently probing her mouth with his tongue. He was eagerly granted entrance as soon as Sakura woke up. The make-out session that occurred rolled them from one end of the bed to another, with Itachi ending up on top and Sakura on bottom. He sucked on her bottom lip, gaining a slight whimper from the girl. He pulled back when he believed things went too far.

"Good morning," he whispered in her ear, before getting up and heading to the guys' bathroom down the hall.

Sakura giggled. That was by far the best "wake up call" she had ever gotten in her life. She sighed. Well, so much for having her own room. It looked like Itachi and she would just be sharing. She wondered if they could come up with a schedule, then sighed. His mattress was more comfortable than hers anyway.

She got up and took a long bath, a luxury she hadn't had when sharing a bathroom with three men, now five men. She had been afraid of what bacteria might be lurking in that tub. She noticed distractedly while getting dressed that she was no longer "on it," then finished pulling up her pants and went out the door, pulling on her cloak on the way. She guessed that the "debriefing" would be in Pein's office, just down the hall.

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Itachi had thought that he would have to go get Sakura from her room or wherever she had wandered off to when the debriefing would begin, but she calmly walked in, ten minutes before it began.

She sat down next to him on a couch that was farthest from the desk, leaning her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her, moving his arm a little so it was wrapped around her, but made no real response. He didn't allow anything to cross his face as he resumed staring at the door in front of him.

Soon, Pein came out, leaning lazily against the door frame.

"We failed in protecting that politician, all because of our new member," he told them, pointing absentmindedly to Sakura, who blushed, burying her face in Itachi's shoulder. "Our new objective is to find allies within the ninja villages. Help those we feel are truly interested in peace, and destroy those, like Sound and Mist, who are not."

Kisame glowered until Pein gave him a look.

"You will all be assigned to the villages I think you will be most beneficial toward. Sasuke and his team, Hawk, are to completely destroy the Village of Sound, and help Konoha to take over that particular bordering land. Itachi, Sakura, you are to go back to Konoha and speak with the Godaime. Gain her trust, and show her that we mean to become allies. Kisame, Deidara, you are to take down Mist from the inside. We will find someone who will lead that country judiciously soon, but so far, the other countries seem to have their hands full."

With that, it seemed they were dismissed, as Pein just left. Sakura walked to her room, pulling along Itachi absently. As soon as they got in her room, she flopped on the bed, pulling the forgotten ninja on top of her. She laughed when Itachi glared at her.

_Foolish girl,_ he thought, _but I love her that way._

He leaned down and kissed her, then rolled over so that he was lying on his right side, facing her.

"Does Pein really mean for peace?" She asked Itachi.

Itachi nodded. "Pein does, but Madara does not."

"Madara? Isn't he dead?" Sakura looked puzzled.

Itachi shook his head. "He's around, and he wants revenge on Konoha. Not many will follow him, but I have a feeling that Sasuke will, if given enough lies. Kisame is iffy. He might go with Madara if he thinks there is something truly in it for him."

Sakura stared at him.

"Is Sasuke still here?" she asked.

Itachi nodded. Confused, he watched as Sakura got up and left the room. He followed her as soon as he processed that she was probably going to do something rash.

He heard a body hit the wall and sped up. He took out a kunai, ready to disable his otoutou if he was too close to losing his head. What he found shocked him , though he felt, after later reflection, that he should have expected it.

Sakura had Sasuke held against the wall with one hand clenched tightly around his windpipe. Sasuke was gasping for breath, he brought his knee forward to hit the girl, but she grabbed it with her other hand, placing it against the wall and pinning his legs with her own. She had already pinned his sleeves with kunai.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Sasuke," she told him. "Neji, Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, hell, even Chouji could do this more easily than I can. I had to catch you by surprise to do this. You join anyone else, besides Konoha, Suna, or the Akatsuki, and you will be pitted against them, and they won't hold back. Naruto might try to convince you to come back, as will others, but they will eventually capture you and put you up for trial, or, if they can't catch you, they'll kill you. We're all either Jounin or ANBU by now. You're still counted as a gennin."

Sasuke glared at her. Sakura rolled her eyes. "You still haven't grown up," she sighed. She pulled her hand back, quickly grabbed her kunai out of his sleeves, and turned around, letting him fall to the floor.

Itachi shook his head, and then followed her to her room. She was lying on her side, her cloak tossed on the floor, and her headband in her hand.

_Don't go, Go, Don't go, Go,_ was running through her head.

Itachi walked over to her, sitting silently beside her. After watching for about five minutes, then he pulled her to his chest, ducking her head underneath his chin. She sobbed into his shirt, he could feel the tears seeping through his shirt and onto his skin. Itachi sighed, leaning his head down to place a kiss on top of her head.

Damn it, things always got complicated when he just wanted to sit back and enjoy the show.

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Ino was outside, laying on her back in the grass, just staring at the patterns the sunlight made on the leaves in the tree above her. She sighed, rolling onto her side, leaning her head on Shikamaru's chest. He put his arm around her, pulling her closer, then sighed.

She looked at him.

"What?" she asked.

He looked down at her and chuckled. "The clouds above my head seem to be spelling out "Troublesome" with a clock next to it."

Ino looked at him, a disbelieving snort coming from him. "Troublesome times?" she suggested. When he nodded, she giggled, kissing him. "Love, when we stare at clouds, we see what we wish to see."

Shikamaru's chest vibrated with a low chuckle. He stretched a bit, and then settled. "Yeah," he sighed.

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Gaara had been staring out his office window for what seemed like hours. He felt like he was waiting for something, but he didn't know what.

He felt a jolt as he realized there was a large, dense, dark amount of chakra heading his way. He was getting up to go ready some ninja, and hide the villagers inside when it struck him. He stumbled back, landing on his back.

_**Hey, brat. I'm back!**_

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**A/N: Reviews are what whatever higher being there is (if you believe in one) gifts writers with.**

**Help spread the higher being-ness.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 14: Damn Brats and Stupid Demons**

To say Gaara had been shocked was an understatement. He had not heard that voice in so long, he had nearly forgotten the chills his spine felt when he heard it. He had stopped worrying about Shukaku, completely, totally, unconcerned for the being that had formerly taken up residence in the seal on his stomach. How they ever got him to fit there was beyond him, however.

_**Oi, you damn brat, are you gonna say hi, or what?**_

_Hello, Shukaku, is that better?_ Gaara thought back to the demon. He turned as he felt a disruption in the air behind him. A whirlpool like thing appeared behind him, and out of said whirlpool, which was made of fire, a girl came. "Oi, fluffy-kun, did your bijuu come back?" she asked.

Gaara stared at her. He hadn't seen Natsumi since he was four, and that had only been for one week. She housed another demon. "Yes," he told her. "What are you doing here?"

She smirked at him. "I lost mine well before you," she told him. "It's why I left."

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Itachi was sitting against the headboard with a now-sleeping lying against his chest, his legs on either side of her. He stared down at the girl, wondering how she had unfrozen him so much, and so fast. He leaned back against the headboard, wrapping his arms around her tighter. Sakura stirred, settling more comfortably on his chest and snuggling against him, sighing.

Itachi looked down at her, gave a single laugh, leaned down and kissed her from her right collar bone to her ear. He leaned back, and fell asleep.

That night, there were only dreams, not nightmares, playing across the back of his eyelids.

Sakura giggled in her dream, as she felt someone trail their lips up the side of her neck and to her ear. She sighed, snuggled against the warm being behind her, and looked up at the clouds that were circling above her head.

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Gaara stared at the girl before him. "You left because you lost your bijuu? You survived?"

Natsumi looked him in the eyes, and gave him a lopsided grin. "Yeah. I survived by chance. Someone was willing to give their life to save mine. My parents and I just moved on." She shrugged. "Ever lived in the Village Hidden in the Waterfalls? We lived a few miles out of town. It's a nice place. Usually."

Gaara shook his head, as if to clear it of the confusion. He looked at the place where her whirlpool had been. "I forgot you could do that," he told her.

Natsumi looked behind her. "Yeah," she laughed. "I guess I was just so excited. I was going to run here, I had forgotten about that little thing, and then I was just…well, here."

Gaara felt like laughing. That was the way she had described it to him so long ago. _I just get emotional and want to go someplace, and, suddenly, I'm just…there._

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Itachi had woken up first the next morning, and, making sure that his bedmate did not wake, he got out of bed, took a shower, got dressed, and started getting ready for the trip to Konoha. He packed his clothes, food, and other things he would need before Sakura woke up. When she began to stir, he looked over at the bed for the first time since he had gotten up.

"Good morning," Itachi told her quietly.

Sakura looked at him dazedly and yawned. She threw the covers of her bed to the floor, then went to take a quick shower. While she was in there, Itachi packed everything she would need much the same way he had packed his own.

Soon, Sakura was out of the shower, and the silent, deadly pair left the house and were on their way to Konoha. Hopefully, they would get there soon, and Naruto would be fine.

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Gaara and Natsumi stared at each other for what seemed like hours, analyzing how the other had changed.

"I had heard you became Kazekage," Natsumi whispered, her eyes growing sad. "That was right after my parents died. I moved out of my house, went farther out, more on the outskirts than, and I quote, 'any sane young lady would ever move', and I started doing odd jobs. My parents had been nin, and they had trained me, so I started fighting for whoever was willing to let me. A former jinchuuriki usually doesn't get to chose the peak jobs. You and that Naruto guy are lucky. Your governments were already planning on using you. Mine just wanted to get rid of me."

Gaara stared at the girl. "My own uncle attempted to kill me, after telling me he 'loved' me, and my own mother _hated_ me," Gaara stated. "Gaara means literally "one without love". And Naruto? Well, at least he was never given much hope, and he got friends, after years of persistence, being beaten down, and being called a failure. Now his closest friends have left him."

Natsumi, nodded slightly, bowing to those good points.

There was a slight knock at the door. "Gaara-sama," a voice said from the other end of the door. Gaara recognized the voice as one of his nin and fan club members. He grunted to let her know he was listening. "A member of the Akatsuki has turned himself in, and wishes to speak to you."

Gaara looked up at the door. He looked at Natsumi, who disappeared. "Come in."

He could swear that he heard a silent taunt from under his desk. "I'm already right here."

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On his way to sound, Sasuke contemplated Sakura. Yes, Sakura. He was supposed to come back and start a family with her. She was supposed to be there after he killed his brother and ask him if her Sasuke-kun was alright. She was supposed to be his!

Not his brother's. She was not supposed to belong to the man he was sworn to kill. It was just wrong, sickening, and maddening. He wanted to punch something. Someone.

He went back to his old camp and picked up team Hawk. After a quick lecture, where he scolded them for the mess, and told them that they were to behave more appropriately when they went back to sound, they moved out, and again, his mind strayed to Sakura. Beautiful, loving, sweet, Sakura.

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Itachi had never been an overly protective person, not even with his brother. Yes, he lied to Sasuke about a few things to protect him, but that was more so that someday Sasuke could kill him, and Itachi would be put out of his misery.

But now, with two men eying up Sakura and threatening both of them with jail and death and God knows what else, he couldn't help it. Even after they had said time and again that they wanted only to peacefully speak with the Godaime and then take whatever punishment she saw fit. They had even taken off the cloaks, and hidden most of their weapons more nicely!

So, as the two men went on and on about this and that, never getting to the point, Itachi finally noticed that they were hardly paying attention to what they were saying. He also noticed that Sakura skirt had hiked up, and while it gave him a beautiful, ahem, _inspiring_ view, it was a view he did not want to share. A view he _would _not share. So, one second, the two men were still chattering on, and the next, they were both against the wall, Itachi had one hand on each of their throats.

"She will file for sexual harassment and incompetency. Now, please, let us see the Godaime. I'm sure she will enjoy seeing Sakura, at least, though I doubt she'll like to see me."

As the two nodded, Sakura giggled lightly under her breath. When Itachi put the two "rent a cop" chuunin back on their feet and they began basically running to show Itachi and Sakura the way, she burst out laughing uncontrollably.

Itachi looked over at her, and laughed lowly, then grabbed her hand and began taking her to the Mountain.

Several people turned to stare, but as neither was wearing an Akatsuki cloak, they were not attacked, only followed. When Kakashi started pulling up the rear, Sakura turned around, looked him straight in the eye(after all, only one was visible) and told him to catch up.

A shocked Kakashi began walking beside her. Why was she with the older Uchiha brat, he wondered. He started reading his porn again, watching the couple discreetly from the corner of his eye, noticing every detail of how comfortably they acted towards each other.

This was some interesting gossip…I mean, developments.

A/N: sorry, my sweets, but a girl can only do so much when she has the plot, but the words refuse to flow.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Uh oh. Some people missed a chapter. If you don't get something, go back and see if you missed one, because I've got more hits for fourteen(really thirteen), than I have for thirteen(really twelve). **

Chapter 15: Confronting Our Problems

Sakura gripped Itachi's hand tightly in her own, seeking comfort as she looked up at the faces of the leaders, and knew that soon she would be facing her teacher, and her second mother, and have to ask her to do something damn near impossible.

_Forgive. A ninja's worst attribute is their ability to keep grudges, because sometimes, we need a former enemy. _

Itachi squeezed her hand back. They were standing very close together, their hands lightly holding each other, and Itachi, whose expression was basically unreadable, was worried. Not for himself, of course. He could handle anything, but Sakura. He wasn't so sure how well she would be able to take the pain in Tsunade's eyes.

In his own mind, Itachi was sighing. Outwardly, his scowl just deepened more.

Sakura could feel his almost imperceptible mood swings in his chakra flowing underneath her fingers. She looked over at him, catching his eyes once, then leaned upwards and kissed him sweetly on the cheek. "It'll be fine," she assured him, whispering in his ear before standing right again and basically pulling him up the stairs behind her.

They heard someone talking inside the room, and sat down patiently to wait until the other people left.

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Ino had been in this office for over an hour, arguing with Tsunade about whether or not they could have the wedding on a certain date, exactly one year from when Sakura had left, when she would either be reported dead, if she didn't get seen, or a traitor, if she was seen.

At least then, they could make her a maid of honor who just couldn't be present. Damn the council if they said any different. It was her wedding and it was her choice.

Tsunade sighed, noticing two vaguely familiar, though masked, signatures outside her door.

"We'll continue this later, Ino," Tsunade grumbled, reaching under the desk for a bottle of sake. "Whoever the hell is on the other side of that door, come in NOW!"

She watched as the door cracked open, a green eye looking in. The door was flung wide open, and a pink and black blur hit Ino, throwing her back against the Hokage's already messy desk.

"I missed you Ino-pig," Sakura told the girl. Sakura looked up into Tsunade's eyes.

"Sishou, it's nice to see you."

Tsunade stared at Sakura for a total of four seconds before she slapped Sakura across the face, without chakra of course, and yelled "Don't you ever do that again, baka!"

Sakura turned her head back around to face her master.

_I guess we deserved that…_ Sakura said.

_**Yeah…**_

Sakura looked into angry, tearing eyes, and smiled. "I missed you, too," Sakura told the woman.

It was then that Tsunade and Ino saw the other person in the room. Tsunade glared darkly at the man before her.

"Uchiha Itachi," she whispered. Her eyes narrowed even more.

Sakura looked between the two highly powerful ninja on either side of her. As Tsunade pulled a kunai from under the desk, Itachi moved in front of Sakura, pulling her gently behind him.

Sakura grabbed his arm, her eyes widening. "Tsunade-sama, Itachi-kun, sit down, and put those damn knives down!" she half- yelled.

"Sakura, do you have any idea what could happen with this _criminal_ in the village?" Tsunade bit out

"Criminal for what?" Sakura asked. "Not killing his brother? Killing mostly other criminals or allies of our enemies? Or for disobeying the council members you despise and revolt against?"

Tsunade looked torn. Honestly torn, and it tore Sakura apart to see her that way.

Tsunade slammed the knife down with enough force to put a spider-web of cracks through the desk. 11 "o; join and without any attitude. He pulled Sakura to sit down on his lap, putting his arm almost possessively around her.

Tsunade stared at the offending limb, looking up at Sakura, who, in return smiled rather guiltily and gave Tsunade a look that said, "I'll explain everything…later."

Sighing, she looked at Ino. "Yamanaka, sit. We're going to be here for a while," and with that, Tsunade planted her eyes on the blushing Sakura and the stoic, glaring Uchiha. Sakura began to spill her guts, and Itachi bit in with small words that usually corrected a detail, or told Tsunade something that Sakura did not know. Through it all, Tsunade said nothing, though she could feel the presence of the copy-nin in the window just as well as the Uchiha and Sakura.

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Naruto was sitting on a roof sitting next to a cloud-watching Shikamaru.

"Oi, Shikamaru, did you hear those chuunins talking about Sakura being back?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru looked over at him. "Ah, I've heard it."

"And?"

"It could be true. I don't know."

Naruto looked up at the sky, dropping down next to the man, and said, "oh, well…I'll find out soon enough, ne?"

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Neji looked at Daisuke as he walked out of the Compound. Thank whatever good there was in this planet that the boy had finally attached himself to someone else. It had been annoying to have that thing attached to him at basically all times.

Finally, Daisuke had found Naruto and Hinata, and Neji, who had taken to sneaking out to meet Tenten, had finally been able to go out with her at any time.

As soon as he was on his way to the restaurant, he put his hand hesitantly in his pocket, feeling the dark, velvet, small box there. _Today's the day, he thought to himself."_

Somewhere between the dinner and Tenten's apartment, a very thought out, very consequential question was asked, and somewhere in that area, an answer was given, along with kisses, tugs, and a giggle.

The next morning, Neji could _not _be found in the compound, and all Hinata could do when Daisuke brought it up was give him a little knowing smile and think: _I hope things work out for everyone._

_**A/N: yes, two marriages...maybe more. Who knows?**_


	17. Chapter 17

Somehow, things seemed to work out. Tsunade just had every single weapon removed from Sakura and Itachi and had seals placed on their chakra. They weren't allowed to go on any mission, not allowed in any ninja-related areas, and not allowed to go near Naruto without a guardian. Basically, they weren't allowed to do anything.

Itachi stayed in Sakura's apartment because the Complex was falling apart, and it would be entirely too troubling to rent a new apartment now, especially since it would take _months_ to unfreeze the old Uchiha accounts, even with his status as the heir. "Besides," Tsunade had said, "It'll be easier to track you two if you're both in one place."

Sakura spent all day in her old apartment, cuddling on the couch with Itachi, and sparring with him in Taijutsu to keep from getting fat. They had been making out a lot more now, but hadn't done more, much to both Sakura and Itachi's secret disappointment. Itachi because, let's face it, it's hard for a guy to sleep curled up around a hot woman every night, and Sakura really didn't have a reason more than the fact that she had always thought from Ino that things were supposed to move faster than this.

_Then again, Ino is a bit…ahem… fast._ She thought to herself.

_**A bit?**_

_Oh, shut up, you._

_**That coming from the girl talking to herself.**_

_Only in my head, sweetheart. _

_**And that makes it better….how?**_

_Never mind. _

_**You just lost an argument with yourself. **_

Sakura sighed, looking over at the man lying splayed over her couch. He was staring right back at her. She had been sitting in the window seat, a scroll on her lap, when she began to doze.

Lazily, Sakura got up off the seat and walked over to Itachi, she gently lied down on top of him and put her head over his heart. "How much longer do you think this will last?" She asked him.

Itachi looked down at the top of Sakura's head and couldn't help that one side of his mouth pricked up a bit in a half-smile. "It's only been a few weeks, Sakura, we've been sentenced six months with good behavior, and nine with any misbehaving." He leaned down to plant a kiss on her right temple. "why? Tiring of me so soon?"

Sakura scowled up at his mocking. "That's not it, Itchy."

Itachi scowled down at the nickname. "I don't call you pinky, you don't call me Itchy."

Sakura buried her head farther into his black shirt, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart. "Okay, I-ta-chi," she told him, leaning up and giving him a kiss. The kiss deepened soon, his tongue sneaking into her mouth. Soon they moved elsewhere. The next morning, when Shizune came to give them the food for the week, she took one step into the bedroom to wake them up, blushed, and left to go tell Tsunade the "good news."

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Ino was looking all over for Sakura. She was supposed to the maid of honor and they had a few months of planning to do. Then she remembered. House arrest, meaning Sakura couldn't be out anywhere, even to help a friend plan. She sighed.

_Well, if I can't bring Sakura to the planning, I'll take the planning to her._

Quickly, she went to go get some pictures of Dresses, a few samples of cakes, and a few pictures of places to have the wedding ceremony and reception, and a few sample menus from local caterers. Mrs. Nara may think that she was going to have a say in the wedding, but she wasn't .

She walked into Sakura's building, carrying a few bags, and walked up the stairs. She knocked on the door to have Sakura open the door wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her body and another wrapped through her hair.

"Yes?" Sakura asked.

"Can I come in?"

Sakura took one look at the girl and then peeked over her shoulder. "Give me a sec, okay?"

Ino nodded.

Sakura closed the door and ran to her bedroom, then through to the bathroom where Itachi was in the process of taking a shower. "Ino's here," she yelled over the water. Then she ran to her room, put the clothes in the hamper and got dressed in the first set of pajamas on her dresser.

Soon, Ino was sitting on the floor of the apartment, the cake samples and pictures spread out on the coffee table, chatting with Sakura about which dress looked cuter, which cake tasted best, and which location complemented what coloring.

When Itachi walked in, and Sakura gave him a look like _"unless you are helping, get out"_, he nearly bolted. Honestly, two women, with wedding dress pictures, cakes, and God knows what else spread around them was one of the scariest things ever. He was just glad that Sakura and he hadn't been dating long enough for her to start dropping hints. He wasn't sure how he was going to ask her when the time came, as he was sure it eventually would. He was usually cold, and without a father, a friend, or a close brother to get pointers from, he was clueless.

He figured she wouldn't go for the entire "on one knee, asking pretty please," thing, he would bet his entire pay from being in the Organization that she would want something more romantic, sweeter. Perhaps on Valentine's Day, buried in box after box, with the final box around the ring saying "Will you Marry Me," or maybe on her birthday, with the ring the holder of a bouquet of just a few flowers, and he just asked her out right to marry him. He didn't know.

Kami, he was probably more into this than she was. She would probably just say yes, throw herself on him and squeeze him half to death.

He would definitely have to wait until after Ino and Shikamaru's wedding, though, there was no way he was going to deal with her preparing to be a Maid of Honor, and a Bride. It would just overstress the poor girl, no matter how strong she was.

Itachi shook his head and moved back into the room. He could worry about that later, right now he was going to catch up on the sleep he had missed last night.

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Ino stared at the back of the retreating man, then back at Sakura.

"Isn't that your room?" she asked, a smile covering her features.

Sakura turned a glare to Ino.

"Yes."

Ino opened her mouth again, only to be cut off by Sakura's hurried "Don't"

Ino closed her mouth, but gave Sakura a look that clearly told her that that was far from the end of the discussion.

Sakura pointed to the dress that she thought would look best on Ino, saying "I think this will be best. Shikamaru won't be able to keep his eyes or hands off of you."

Ino looked at the dress. It was one of the prettiest.

"You really think so?"

"Yes."

"Cool," Ino smiled. "Now about the bridesmaid dresses."

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It was hours before Itachi came out of the bedroom, happy to see that his girlfriend was alone. Yawning quietly, he walked over to the couch and sat down, smiling over at Sakura, sleeping on two cushions, curled up, and snoring. He walked in front of her, putting his arms under her back and her knees and gently carried her to the bedroom, putting her in bed. He walked out, closed the door, and was starting to watch T.V. when there was a knock at the door.

Hesitantly, as he could feel the powerful, angry chakra on the other side, he opened the door, and met two fists at once. One was from the infamous Copy-ninja, the father figure of Sakura's life, and the other from the Godaime, the motherly-figure in Sakura's life.

Lying nearly unconscious on the floor, Itachi could vaguely hear scolding like "how could you, she was a virgin, and yes, I actually know that for a fact!" and questions like "did you use protection?" and "is she on the pill?"

Itachi shook himself off and stood up. "I didn't use protection, I knew she was a virgin, I didn't start it, and I believe that all kunoichi in this village are on the pill as a requirement, no?"

Tsunade and Kakashi glared at him.

"theaacornfalabafla?" Itachi muttered.

"Better."

Itachi sighed. Incoherency was expected from most of their victims, so they probably wouldn't believe a word out of his mouth until after this supposed faze stopped.

Sakura, having woken up at the yelled questions, came out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes. "Hey," she told the two newcomers.

Tsunade looked Sakura over. "Sakura, we need to talk…"


	18. Chapter 18

Sakura was sitting nervously in front of her sishou, looking down at the floor as her master lectured her.

"You could have gotten any variety of diseases!" Tsunade yelled at her. "And while if we catch them in time, we can destroy them with chakra, what if we don't? What if you forgot to take the pill?"

Sakura looked Tsunade in the eyes. "I'm pretty darn sure I remembered."

Tsunade glared at her. "Pretty Darn Sure isn't enough!"

"I took it, Tsunade-sishou. I've been taking it for about six, seven years now. Ever since I became a shinobi. Really, you think I would forget the one day I actually have sex after all these years?" Sakura gave Tsunade a look.

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Meanwhile, across town, Kakashi and Itachi were sitting in a restaurant a block away from Sakura's apartment, looking awkwardly at each other.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Well, I'm supposed to give you a lecture on how you should be more careful, and to wake up the next time someone walks in, so Shizune doesn't get the shock of her life seeing two naked butts she hasn't seen since they were wearing diapers, all wrapped up around each other. It's, and I quote, 'icky'. But really, all I want to do is to tell you that if you ever break her heart, you will have more than seventy-five percent of the Konoha and Suna shinobi chasing your ass down to kill you."

Itachi looked stoically at the man in front of him, blinking only once before he said, calmly as ever, "I don't plan on breaking her heart, ever, and I would willingly take on all of you if it came down to it."

Kakashi's one eye narrowed. _Arrogant kid. He really needs to learn his place…then again, as a clan head, one of the most feared men in the world, and a man who made ANBU at thirteen, I guess he has a right to be a tad arrogant. _

"Oh, and by the way, '_theaacornfalabafla?"_ Kakashi asked. "Honestly, do we look that stupid? It sounded better coming from that damn short chicken in the kid's movie."

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Sakura could honestly say that she had never been redder. After having had to repeat various conversations with Tsunade, now colored more since her master thought she deserved all the "dirty details," she wanted to burn this room in her apartment, and pretend this never happened. Just as Tsunade was about to go into another tirade, Sakura was saved by two of her usual knights in shining armor.

There came a quick knock before the door opened up to reveal Itachi and Kakashi both standing there, Itachi looking as unsettled as Sakura felt. Kakashi looked at Sakura's eyes, which were pleading for help, and told the Hokage that it was time to leave.

"I think we've emotionally scared them enough for now," Kakashi explained, escorting a vaguely angry Tsunade out by the elbow.

As soon as the two adults were out the door, Sakura turned over to Itachi, putting her face in his chest and her arms around his form. "That was so embarrassing," she whispered.

Itachi chuckled. "You have no idea."

Sakura looked up at him, and, eventually, he said a single sentence that explained it all. "Your teacher gave me a lecture about not breaking your heart in a room full of ninja."

Now Sakura could comprehend. After Sasuke, the ninja who liked her, which was most of them, were a bit overprotective of their cherry blossom. Needless to say, talking about breaking her heart in a room full of them wasn't Kakashi's best idea of the century. Or millennia, but whatever.

She leaned up and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Well, I have some good news," she told him.

"What's that?" Itachi asked.

"Tsunade sishou has decided that this doesn't necessarily count as bad behavior."

Itachi laughed under his breath, nuzzling his nose in her hair. "That is good news."

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Neji had been sitting on the floor between Tenten's knees while she sat on a chair behind him. He was letting her doing something he had not let anyone do since he was five: brush his hair. And he was enjoying every second of it. He was just leaning back as she brushed her fingers through his hair, nearly falling asleep, when there came a knock at the door.

With his byakugan, Neji checked who was at the door, then sighed, getting up and opening it. "Hello, Daisuke. Yes, you've found me. No, I wasn't hiding. I really don't want to spar today. Go ask one of the other clan members. Good bye."

And with that, the door closed, leaving a stunned Daisuke on the other side. Faintly, he could hear a woman laughing on the other side of the door. "Well, that was rude," he told himself, not even realizing that he had been basically stalking prominent members of the clan for the past four or five years of his life.

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It took four days for news of Neji and Tenten's engagement to reach Sakura's ears through Ino. As soon as she heard, she jumped up and cheered, making Itachi come into the room to investigate. Honestly, he couldn't see why she freaked out. _Girls are all romantics, even the ones who can kill with a flick of their finger._ He thought.

He stared out the window with Sakura leaning against him…until his circulation to his arm started going, he tried to inconspicuously move her. Accidentally he pushed her completely off the window seat.

He watched wide-eyed as she fell towards the floor, and hit…

But stayed amazingly asleep.

Sighing, Itachi moved Sakura to her bed, climbing in next to her and fell asleep.


	19. Chapter 19

**I couldn't think of a good conflict to put in. And I like ending my stories and allowing you to fill in most of the blanks. So here this is. Even though it took me two months to get it to uploading..l**

It took three years, six months, and fifteen days for there to finally be a peace agreement with most nations, leaving the rest as "enemies". Three years, six months, and fifteen days too many, as most of the male ninjas thought. Neji, Shikamaru, and Naruto had been engaged for nearly all of that time, and six months into the attempts to bring peace to a war-bred area, Itachi had joined the ranks of the "unavailable" list.

But, as each of them found out, females are picky. Severely, SEVERELY, picky. Originally, Ino and Shikamaru had planned on getting married a few months after Sakura got back. Then one of the bridesmaids got pregnant. After that, the war for peace broke out. It seemed that there was a multitude of wars breaking out during their lifetimes. Wars meant more dead bodies, widows, and children were not spared . Ino did not wish to marry Shikamaru until after the war was over. "With my luck, I'll marry you, you'll go out on a mission, and next thing I know, I'll be pacing, staring at a door, and I'll get a knock. I don't want to be a widow," and she had touched his cheek and given him a kiss.

Sakura had glared at Itachi as he had tried getting her to agree to a ceremony only a month after their engagement. He had already had the entire thing set up, along with the unfreezing of the Uchiha heir's fortune. "What? Get married now so I can raise children that will have to face the ugliness of war even sooner than you and I did? Over my dead body!"

Needless to say, Itachi had not tried to press her again.

Naruto was sent all over the place for months on end without warning. Hinata and he were the only two who would have gotten married during the war, but they never got the chance until Naruto came back, and it was a rather rushed ceremony. Naruto was saying his vows one minute, the next he was getting sized for his Hokage's robes, and during the reception, no less. If it hadn't been for the fact that it was for Hokage robes, Naruto's new mother in law would have killed him.

Naruto had been sitting in his office, doing paperwork, when he got the first of the invitations. He looked at the nondescript envelope that simply said his name and "You're Invited" in a flowing, elegant font. Curious to know who had won the race, he opened up the letter. Inside was two names he did not think he would see; one because he could never see him married, the other because he had never met her.

The invitation said, "You are invited to the Wedding of Uchiha Sasuke and Honda Miu. Ceremony at 2143 Changeling Lane, Reception at the Moonlight Dance Hall."

Naruto stared at it. "Wow" he said aloud, "that was fast."

Later, at the wedding, Naruto would know why as he looked at the small bump on the belly of Sasuke's new wife. Honestly, at least Itachi hadn't gotten anyone pregnant.

Not that Naruto would ever have the guts to tell Sasuke that.

Second were Itachi and Sakura, in a slow, beautiful ceremony that actually came out very well. That night, Naruto's first assumption about Itachi had been proven wrong. Sakura's belly was barely starting to show, but on a girl that thin, it looked bulbous. Naruto had first congratulated Itachi, then tried to punch him.

He didn't succeed.

Third were Ino and Shikamaru. Miraculously enough, Shikamaru had gotten Ino pregnant, too, but this time, it wasn't Naruto who punched the groom. The bride's father did. Repeatedly, until people wondered if Shikamaru was dead.

And so, they all lived happily ever after. A few months later, there was some screaming, some cursing, some breaking of bones, someone got thrown thru a few walls and into the Konoha air, a screaming wife also threw the doctor out on top of him.

"I know what I'm doing, dipshit, this isn't the first time I've delivered a baby, just the first time from this end!" said wife screamed. Itachi looked at the doctor, whom he had caught, and laughed. "Well, at least my kid's going to be strong."

Their first child was a boy, with alabaster skin, black hair that would just not stay down, and the most beautiful green eyes anyone had ever seen. They named him Kei. Kei Uchiha. He never saw anyone die in a war, but he did heal those who came back from the battlefields. His sister was the one who became the warrior. Yukiko, who had pink hair and black eyes, was the first of the new generation to possess the Sharingan. Her little cousin, Youta, never developed it, much to his father's disappointment, and Kei developed it a week after she did. She developed it at the age of seven; he did at the age of eight.

Ino went into labor not two days later, and, while she didn't throw anyone thru a wall, she did break Shika's hand. Their little girl was named Hana, and she had great lungs, blonde hair, and eyes as black as night. She was lazy. She never did become a ninja, or a healer. She ran her grandparents' shop, and she became a wife and a mother of four. Her brother, Daichi, was the ninja.

Sasuke's first and only child, Youta, was born early in the morning. His wife screamed for a while, but eventually, she stopped doing anything. She passed out, and the medic could do nothing to help her. They had to perform an emergency C-section on her. They tried to revive her, but were unsuccessful. Sasuke silently took his child, naming him Youta, for being the only sunshine left in his life. He married later on, when Youta was six, but they never had children. She had a daughter, but it was from a previous marriage, she was widowed at twenty, and now she had her own little baby, Tomoko, to take care of. Youta became a ninja, even became an ANBU captain, but he never developed the infamous bloodline trait. Tomoko, who had been only a year old when her stepfather had married her mother, did not know that Sasuke wasn't her biological father until after she became a records keeper for Konoha. When asked, all Sasuke could say was "I forgot," and all his wife, Yuka, could say was "I didn't know how to tell you."

So all of them lived relatively happy lives, with tragedy thrown in at times, as it has been and always will be for ninja, hard to live, even harder to die. Honestly, even with so called peace around, there will always be a need for them. They keep things in order, and try not to let their own lives become to chaotic.

They lived, they grew old, and they died. They saw the end of their lives coming, and they were ready for it. They all died in their lover's arms, content, old, well fed, and smiling.

**The end.**


End file.
